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The Akosombo Dam, A new Date
By Kweku Asare
July 23, Ghanadot - For yet again,
the date for the end of the current debilitating load
shedding exercise has been shifted from September 30 ( sorry
September 31st ) to December 31st 2007.
At a press briefing in Accra on Monday, the Volta River
Authority set itself December 31 to end the whole power
problem.
The government, Energy Ministers and other public figures
have constantly had to change the dates for the end of the
load shedding exercise , the latest being September 30, but
Mr Kobina Tahiru Hammond, Deputy Energy Minister thinks this
is unrealistic.
The Authority on Monday made it clear that it would take a
decision next week whether to operate the Akosombo Dam on
only one turbine.
The dam is currently running on two out of a total of six
turbines for the generation of hydro power, due to the
critically low water level fixed at 234.96 feet.
Despite a consistent fall in the level of the water, now at
a critically low, the VRA insists the dam will not be shut
and will rather run on a single turbine.
Speaking at a news conference on Monday, the Deputy Chief
Executive of VRA, Dr Erick Yankah, Acting Chief Executive
said shutting down the dam will create a system imbalance,
which could lead to transmission failures.
He blamed the media debates on the energy crisis, saying
they have not helped to address the situation well enough.
"They have created in the minds of the public that it is
business as usual and people still behave the same way. This
is not a blame game because we need to work as a team to
resolve the crisis as it should," he said.
Dr Yankah reiterated that what the technical experts had
told Ghanaians about the shutting of the dam was the truth
in its entirety.
"Technically we know we can do so (that is, continue to
operate the two turbines at the current 234.96 feet) and
technically we are doing so.
"There is ample water in the dam and absolutely no danger to
the units we are running now," he said, but added that the
VRA would decide by the end of this month, if the level
continued to go down, whether to shut down one unit or not.
"We are mindful of our responsibilities and we can assure
the nation that every single equipment at Akosombo and Kpong
Power stations is in excellent working condition.
"Let's be truthful to the facts and believe what the
engineers are telling us."
VRA Engineers told Ghanadot that stopping the Akosombo dam
itself completely would lead to a complete breakdown of
electrical systems since they serve as the link between the
generating point and the end- users.
Kweku ASare, ACCRA, July 23, Ghanadot |
