Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Energy Committee, Collins Adomako-Mensah, has cast doubt over President John Dramani Mahama’s announcement on plans to begin construction of a 1,200-megawatt power plant, arguing that the project is not a new initiative.
President Mahama, during the Resetting Ghana Citizen Engagement programme on Saturday, May 2, disclosed that the government would this year cut sod for the commencement of the power project as part of efforts to strengthen Ghana’s electricity generation capacity and improve supply reliability.
The President explained that the proposed plant forms part of a broader strategy to expand the country’s energy infrastructure and meet growing electricity demand from households and businesses.
However, Mr Adomako-Mensah insisted the project had already been captured in the national budget and should have progressed beyond the planning stage by now.
“The plan to cut sod this year for the commencement of the construction of a 1,200-megawatt electricity generation plant is nothing new. It was in the budget, which was read last year. We were hoping that by now, they would have gone far with it,” he stated.
He further questioned why the President was still referring to the project as being in the pipeline months after it had been announced in the government’s fiscal plans. “I am surprised the President is saying it is still in the pipeline,” he added.
Speaking in an interview on Channel One TV on Saturday, May 2, the lawmaker also raised concerns over what he described as the absence of parliamentary engagement on the initiative.
According to him, neither Parliament nor the Energy Committee has been formally briefed on the implementation framework for the project.
“As we speak, Parliament has not been served, nor has the Energy Committee been briefed on the plan or how they are going to roll out this programme. So hearing the President saying it is in the pipeline, I am not too sure the kind of pipeline,” he said.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com
