Shutdown of FPSO: Ghana to buy power from Ivory Coast

The Volta River Authority (VRA) has said plans are in place to buy power from neighbouring Ivory Coast.

This follows the shutdown of the FPSO Kwame Nkrumah to allow for routine maintenance works and the reduction in gas supply from the West Africa Gas Pipeline Company.

In an interview on Citi FM, the Chief Executive Officer of the VRA, Mr Kirk Coffie, preparations are far advanced to ensure that the cut down in gas supply does not affect power production.

According to him, negotiations between the Ivorian power producers and Ghana had already begun.

“I was in Ivory Coast with the Deputy Minister of Power, Jinapor and the Chief Executive Officer of GRIDCo to talk to them for some extra supply. They were willing and over the weekend they are able to give us enough and weekdays off peak they are able to also give us,” he said.

He also revealed that the VRA has made adequate preparations to have enough stock of crude oil to ensure the smooth operation of some thermal plants.

“We have made the adequate preparations to buy crude oil…We got almost a million barrels…We discharged 300,000 barrels for our plants in Tema and we are on our way to discharge 400,000 barrels in Takoradi. The extra 200 will be discharged again in Tema.”