Ghana would soon pay 10 million dollars to collect a barge ordered by the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) for the Effasu Gas Project, near Half Assini.

The amount is made up of demurrage and port maintenance charges on the barge, which has been lying idle at a port in Italy, Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, Minister of Energy announced when he paid a day's working visit to the Western Power Gas Project at Effasu-Mangyea, near Half Assini.

He said the barge was meant to convey gas from the Tano Oil Fields to generate electricity adding that since the fields were about 18 kilometres offshore they should have been developed before the construction of the Effasu plant.

The Energy Minister observed that though all other facilities were ready at the site, the absence of gas had prevented the plant from operating whilst the government also incurred cost for the uncollected barge.

He said the Western Gas Power Project could not benefit from the West African Gas Pipeline Project (WAGPP) because it was not included in the original package. "The WAGPP was meant to feed the Aboadze Thermal Power Plant and reduce its use of light crude oil", he said.