This week in Paeliament

Page 26 (Mirror), July 3, 2010
By Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
WITH about four weeks left for the end of the Second meeting of the Second Session of the Fourth Parliament, the House intensified its activities during the week to ensure the completion of the agenda for the meeting.
The House continued the numerous amendments that had been proposed by a number of Members of Parliament (MPs) on the Mutual Legal Assistance Bill, 2009, which is at the consideration stage.
The District Assembly Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2010 was also deliberated on during the week but as at the time of filing this report, the two sides of the House were consulting each other on how best to amend the already existing District Assembly Elections Act, 1994 (Act 473).
The Minister of Energy, Dr Joseph Oteng-Adjei also appeared before the House during the week to answer questions that had been filed by six MPs.
They were Mr Anthony Evans Amoah (NPP, Mpohor-Wassa-East, Mr Emmanuel Kwame Duut?? (NDC, Bunkprugu Yunyoo), Mr Ofosu Asamoah (NPP, Kade), Mr Simons Addai (NDC, Techiman South), Nana Yaw Ofori-Kuragu, (Independent, Bosome-Freho) and Mr Joseph Nikpe Bukari (NDC, Saboba).
Mr Amoah wanted to know when action would be taken on the construction of small hydro-electric dams in the Central and Western regions, initiated in 2008.
Answering the question, Dr Oteng-Adjei said that previous studies undertaken by the Volta River Authority (VRA) on rivers in the Central and Western regions identified seven potential sites for small or mini hydro-electric dams explaining that the rivers involved the Tano and the Ankobra.
He said an update of the preliminary studies undertaken in 2008 for the two sites on the Pra River showed that the site at Hemang could generate 90MW while that of Awisam could generate 50MW adding that proposals of the two mini hydro-power stations had been received and were being evaluated.
Dr Oteng-Adjei said that further studies would have to be initiated to determine the extent of work and especially, the impact of the dams on the environment, including any resettlement issues.
Answering other questions, the minister told the House that in line with the National Electrification Schemes, the mandate of the ministry was to extend electricity to communities without electricity supply at all.
He said when an electricity project was completed, it was handed over to the respective utility company in the community’s location to operate and maintain the network.
Answering another question on causes of the delay in the completion of the electrification project in Chagbani, Kuntuli and the State Farms in the Saboba District, Dr Oteng-Adjei said the ministry had never initiated any electrification project in those areas.
He explained that those projects were initiated by the then Deputy Minister for Lands and Forestry and Professor Okyere of the Animal Research Centre around 2000 with funding from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
He said the supply lines were extended for connection to residents of the community adding that the transformer failed during the inauguration of the project and the supply could not be connected at the time.
He said on the request of the district assembly, the VRA and the Northern Electricity Department replaced the damaged transformer and supplied power to the NRC at Chagbani, where the state farms were located in 2009.
Dr Oteng-Adjei added that the Kuntuli community could, however not be connected because the poles that were used to extend the lines were found to be rotten.
The minister said the district assembly had recently provided the 28 poles required to replace the rotten ones to ensure that the community was connected to electricity.