More than 1,000 Ghanaians are benefiting directly by way of jobs from a $600 million Sunon Asogli Thermal Power Plant (Ghana) Limited project - a power generating plant established in the Kpone-Tema metropolis, one of the highly industrialized metropolitan areas in Ghana.

The private sector gas-steam combine cycle power plant project is a collaboration between Togbe Afede XIV, Agbogbomefia (Paramount Chief) of the Asogli State in the Volta Region of Ghana who also doubles as the CEO of the project, Shenzhen Energy Group Co. Ltd., an independent power producer in China, and China-Africa Development Fund. The majority of the engineers, consultants and managers of the project will be Chinese.

Kpone-Tema hosts myriads of industries. The three steel manufacturing companies in Tema, a large aluminum smelter, and several major food and fish processing companies such as Nestle, Ghana Cocoa Processing Company, Pioneer Food Cannery and Ghana Agro Food Company are located in Kpone-Tema. There are also two large textile-manufacturing companies there and numerous light industries in the area. The municipality has been designated a Free Port and Export Processing Zone, whereby special facilities are accorded to imports and exports, making the positioning of the Asogli Thermal Plant as a strategic one.

Ghana's main source of electrical power, the Akosombo Dam, which has created the largest man-made lake in the world, was constructed 54 years ago by Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first President. The Akosombo Dam supplies more than 60 percent of Ghana's total electricity. This however is woefully inadequate looking at Ghana's growth rate. The growth rate of Ghana's GDP since 1985 has been between 3.5-6 percent, yet over the same period, the demand for electricity grew at a rate of 10-4 percent per annum.

Ghana's energy challenges are manifested in her expanding economy and growing population, which rose from 18.9 million in 2000 to 20 million in 2010 according to the 2010 Ghana Statistical Service Population and Housing Census. Population experts are predicting an increase to 29 million in 2015, which is the target year for the Millennium Development Goals.

The government of Ghana through the Ministry of Energy in January 2009 set a goal of increasing power generation capacity from 1,810 megawatts (MW) to 5,000 MW by 2015 and also to make electricity accessible to every part of the country by 2020.

The Shenzhen Energy Group (SEG) from China is led by Li Xiaohai, Board Chairman of Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana) Limited. According to him, "the company will invest, construct and operate a 560-MW natural gas fuel power plant project in Kpone-Tema under the auspices of both the Chinese and the Ghanaian government with a first phase of 200 MW."

Samuel Abeeku, a factory worker in one of the major manufacturing companies in the Kpone-Tema Municipality hailed the citing of the Sunon Asogli power plant within the Kpone-Tema municipality. "We are delighted," he stated. "The frequent rate at which we experience power cuts is not only disconcerting but also affecting the economic progress of many factories here and this is why I see this plant as a godsend," he said.

The Engineering Company, Earthtech Engineers was commissioned to undertake geotechnical studies for the characterization and design of the power plant. They did the geotechnical studies for the design and construction of the 560-MW power plant to be constructed as an integral part of an energy village project being undertaken by Sunon Asogli power (Ghana) Ltd.

Apart from the Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana) Ltd. plant station providing 500 MW power development plan for Ghana, it will also supply gas to Nigeria VS local in the future. The Asogli Company is also partnering with the West Africa Power Co. (WAPCO) to supply power to Ghana, Nigeria, Benin and other neighboring countries. This is aimed at encouraging companies to invest in Ghana.

Initially the plant will be using free flow gas from the Aboadze Plant and the West Africa Gas Pipeline (WAGP) to generate the first capacity of 100 MW. But Kweku Li, Board Chairman of Asogli Power Plant, said this will only be temporary. "We look into the future with the vision of getting our own supply of gas," he said. It is expected that following the flow of compressed gas from the WAGP, 200 MW would be generated later.

The Minister for Energy, Dr. Joseph Oteng-Adjei identified instability within the power system in Ghana "as one of the problems the Energy Ministry aims to tackle urgently." He emphasized that President John Evans Atta Mills' Better Agenda program for Ghana addresses the issues of the power system in the country, adding that "the president's manifesto covers the situation of efficient power supply in Ghana and also to sell to other neighbouring countries."

He praised the paramount Chief of Ho Traditional areas and his Chinese counterpart for their initiative and pledged his government's support for the project.

(Reporting from Ghana)