Tema, Aug. 16, GNA - Seven members of the Council of State (CS), led by its Chairman, Professor Daniel Adzei-Bekoe, on Wednesday visited offices of GECAD in Tema, to learn more about the energy situation in the country.

The visit enabled the members to familiarise with progress of work on the construction and inauguration of a 126-megawatt Thermal Power Plant for the Volta River Authority (VRA).

Mr Theodore Ebow Essandoh, Executive Chairman of GECAD, Mr Eric Otoo, Project Manager, Mr Steve Doku, Director of Thermal Generation, VRA, and other officials of the VRA and the Ministry of Energy, conducted the CS members round the projects site. Mr Essandoh told the delegation that in addition to the current Tema Thermal One Power Project, GECAD was mobilising resources to begin the construction of another 126-Megawatt Independent Power Plant on the same site.

He said known as the Tema Osonor Plant Limited, the independent power plant was being sponsored by experienced Ghanaian entrepreneurs, in line with the overall strategy of building up to 330 megawatts combined cycle thermal plant for the medium term. Prof. Adzei-Bekoe thanked GECAD for giving members the opportunity to learn at first hand the progress of work at the project site, as well as efforts being made by the private sector to support government to reduce the current power generation deficit.

He said the country needed a systematic policy to forestall future power crisis, and therefore charged technicians working on the project to redouble their efforts to complete it on schedule. Other members of the CS on the tour were the Most Reverend Dr Samuel Asante Antwi, Major General (rtd) Edwin Sam, former Chief of Defence Staff and Mr John Sackah Addo. The rest were Madam Amma Bame Busia, Mrs Cecilia Bannerman and Mrs Gifty Affenyi-Dadzie.