Business News of Friday, 12 July 2013

Source: The Independent Newspaper

Gov’t welcomes more independent power producers

Government is advancing its plans to welcome more Independent Power Producers (IPPs) to produce power to augment the efforts of the Volta River Authority (VRA) at generating power for public and government use.

The call for IPPs has increased in recent times as Ghana continues to languish in acute power rationing challenges.

Civil societies have requested government to invite more independent power producers who have the expertise, the financial muscles and the commitment to venture into other unexplored power generation options to tap power to alleviate the current power banes.

At a press conference, the Minister for Energy and Petroleum, Emmanuel Armah Kofi-Buah, said government is fixing ‘its domestic issues’ that inhibited the investments of IPPs.

He said government is dealing with the issue of tariff adjustments, revenue losses and other factors that will serve as market assurances for the private sector to venture into power production.

He expressed hope that IPPs – both foreign and local, will soon find Ghana, a viable destination for investment.