USTDA GRANT TO REDUCE ENERGY SECTOR FUEL SHORTAGES

The United States Trade and Development Authority (USTDA) is providing a feasibility study grant to the Ghana Energy Commission to examine the development of a floating liquefied natural gas storage and regasification unit in Ghana. Mr. Alfred Ahenkora, Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission, and Ambassador Donald. G. Teitelbaum, U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, each signed the grant on Monday, June 13, at the U.S. Embassy in Accra on behalf of their respective countries.

The project will significantly reduce the fuel shortages and supply disruptions plaguing the Ghanaian energy sector, and will enable Ghana to import liquefied natural gas from the international market, maintain a buffer supply, and regasify the fuel at a significant cost savings over liquid fuels. The improved availability of gas will also reduce harmful emissions as power plants replace heavy fuel oil with more environmentally friendly gas.

The $691,000 grant will assist the Energy Commission in determining the cost effectiveness and technical viability of the emplacement of a ship-mounted liquefied natural gas import terminal, storage, and regasification unit. Additionally, it will examine the viability of the accompanying infrastructure, such as mooring and pipelines, required to transmit the gas to shore.

“We are very pleased to support a project that is so important to the Ghanaian people and such a high priority for the Government of Ghana,” stated USTDA Director Leocadia Zak. “We are excited for the opportunity to involve U.S. businesses in the project.”