Budget Highlight Energy 6

Accra, Nov. 16, GNA - Dr Kwabena Duffuor, Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, on Wednesday said 460 communities were connected to the National Electricity Grid under SHEP 4 phase 2 in the Volta, Western, Central and Northern Regions.

He said the construction of six primary sub-stations in Kumasi and Accra has been completed under the Distribution Improvement Project.

Dr Duffuor, who was presenting the 2012 budget to Parliament in Accra, said the Jubilee Oil Field has increased production from 30,000 barrels of crude oil per day to about 85,000 barrels of crude oil per day from three wells.

He said as part of Government's efforts to expand power generation capacity from 2,000MW to 5,000MW in the medium term, the Energy sector would inaugurate the first unit of the 133MW out of power production to be incorporated into the national grid system.

Dr Duffuor said the 132MW Takoradi 3 Thermal Project would be completed and inaugurated and the Government would also extend electricity supply to 1,200 communities in the Central, Western and Brong Ahafo Regions, 400 communities in the Upper West Region, 106 communities in the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regions and 500 communities in the Northern and Upper East Regions.

He said construction of 150,000 cubic meter capacity tanks for gasoline, diesel and kerosene storage for the BOST Petroleum Terminal would commence next year.

The Minister said the construction of Liquefied Petroleum Gas satellite storage depots at Kumasi and Savelugu and the Mami Water Plant (on the Akosombo-Ho Road) would commence.

GNA