1.0 INTRODUCTION

The Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) has taken notice of attempts to hand over the Takoradi Thermal Plant Three (T3) to Ameri to repair and operate. In this critical period when all available resources must be deployed to bring idle generation plants into full operation, the decision to revive the T3 plant deserves our commendation. However, we are worried about the mode of reviving the plant as that could injure the strategic role the Volta River Authority (VRA) is playing in ensuring our energy balance is not compromised. We recognize the efforts of VRA and its Engineers over the past five years of erratic power shortage, and the least government could do is take a decision that weakens the Authority. The decision to cede the T3 Plant to AMERI is ill-conceived and creates the impression that the decision is targeted at clouding VRA out of the western enclave for eventual takeover by private business concerns with vested interest to use Ghana Gas as their main source of generation. We are aware that government is contracting AMERI on a Build Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) arrangement for 5 years. We are however convinced that the arrangement is far from being a BOOT for the following reasons: