by Justina Paaga
Takoradi March 23, GNA - Mr Robert Porter Jackson, United States of America Ambassador to Ghana has stated that the US government was committed to the transformation of the power sector in Ghana.
He said through companies like GE oil and gas, the US government had made huge investments in they had provided 350million dollars towards the self- help electrification project in 200 communities across Ghana.
Mr Jackson said this during the inauguration of a multi-million dollar General Electric (GE) oil and gas service facility at the Takoradi Port in the western region.
The facility which would be the primary service centre for deep-water offshore projects in Ghana has a 1.600 square metres indoor test area with capacity for testing three subsea tree simultaneously and 4,000 square metres indoor and outdoor storage.
The facility would also supply subsea and turbo machinery equipment for the Eni offshore installation at cape three points (OCTP), provide support for the local supply chain as well as for small and medium -size enterprises.
Mr Jackson said through USAID 400-million-dollar investment had been made to support independent power plants and that the Electricity Company of Ghana was also being supported to provide reliable power supply in the country.
He described power supply as a lifeline to meet basic needs and that the US government was providing technical assistance to build the capacity of small and medium companies to supply adequate and reliable power in the country.
He lauded GE oil and gas for its contributions towards solving Ghana's power crisis as well as creating jobs through its local content policy.
Mr Joseph Cudjoe, Deputy Minister of Energy said the facility was a giant step towards providing quality service to the oil and gas sector which would lead to a successful oil and gas regime in the country.
He said government was doing everything possible to engage committed partners in the power sector so as to build the needed capacity.
He said the ministry of energy would implement the local content policy and noting that its compliance should not be seen as a constraint but an avenue for healthy competition.
Mr Cudjoe said the government was determined to collaborate with companies such as GE Oil and gas to sustain the power sector.
Mr Lorenzo Simoneli President and Chief Executive officer of GE oil and gas said the opening of the facility demonstrated their commitment to developing local partnership and capacity building to deliver effective and efficient solution for their customers.
He said as a global company, GE was uniquely placed to have a well-rounded economic impact on the regions where they operated, adding "we are committed to partnering with Ghana to help support building critical skills and developing infrastructure for the country's future growth”.
Mr Simoneli said apart from the delivery of a comprehensive training programmes for the local workforce, GE oil and gas had recruited more than 30 Ghanaian staff to work at the new facility.
He said GE oil and gas partnership with GNPC and Ashesi University collage was to build local capacity, including education and skills development and a small to medium enterprise development programme.
Mr Ado Oseragbaje President and CEO of Sub-Saharan Africa GE oil and gas, said Ghana had decades of development potential and that they were excited to provide support to a project that would act as an important energy source for the country for many years with minimal environmental impact in addition to driving the development of local infrastructure and capacity building.
"We have the strength and scope to be able to stay close to our customers, work where they work and invest in training and facilities required to reduce complexity, provide faster turnaround of equipment deliveries, support our partners and build a solid talent pipeline in the country ".
Captain Ebenezer Afedzi Director of the Takoradi Port lauded GE oil and gas for siting the facility at the Takoradi Port which he said had made the Port to boast of two subsea tree facilities which would bring a lot of vessels cargo through the port resulting in increased revenue.
He said the facility would make the port to achieve its vision of becoming an oil and gas hub in sub-Saharan Africa and promised GE and other companies that were ready to do business with the port the needed support, adding “our doors are opened for business 24/7.”
Captain Afedzi said since the find of oil and gas in commercial quantities in the region, it had made the vision of the Takoradi port to become brighter and tangible.
To read the full piece from Ghana News Agency, click here.