Top government officials in Upper East Region have disclosed that formal groundbreaking ceremony for construction works to begin on the multipurpose dam at Pwalugu in the Upper East Region is expected to take place in November.
On Monday, August 26 2019, the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has held a successful meeting with key stakeholders including officials of the Ministry of Finance, Volta River Authority, and the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund with regards to the construction of the dam.
According to the officials, the project will also have a powerhouse consisting of two turbines with 60MW of installed capacity and 16.5MW of firm continuous capacity as well as, a 15KM overhead line for export of power to an existing transmission line.
It also comes with a 25,000-hectare irrigation scheme — the country’s biggest bulk so far, according to experts — which will boost annual rice production by up to 117,000 tonnes and maize by up to 49,000 tonnes in Ghana.
Included in the anticipated production boost are other crops like tomatoes, sugar, sweet potato, sweet pepper, and onions.
The dam will also be a source of water supply to communities in the catchment area.
With regards to employment, the officials revealed that thousands of jobs will be created for those who will be engaged to build the project, it will also have a solar component to balance hydro energy with solar power to enhance the reliability of supply.
