The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Adansi Asokwa in the Ashanti Region and the ranking Member on the Mines and Energy Committee of the House, K.T. Hammond, last week Friday tore apart a proposed new energy deal between the Government of Ghana and Ameri Group for the operation of the T3 Power Plant in Takoradi.

Mr Hammond insisted that the $138 million agreement between the government and Ameri brought before parliament for approval is 'a stinking' deal which smacks of last-minute ‘create, loot and share’ by the out-going Mahama government.

According to the ranking member, what had raised serious eyebrows is that the government had refused to give the same contract that was supposed to have been given to another energy company – Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) – which was prepared to rehabilitate the whole plant and make it operational at the cost of $7.8 million.

He said it was outrageous for the government to rush such a deal to parliament, knowing very well that it is a rip-off for corporate Ghana.

He noted that even though the government had so far spent $240 million on the installation of the T3 Plant, it is still sitting idle.

“I don’t understand why this government could decide to pump in as much as $138 million for T3 to be operational when another company was prepared to do it for $7.8 million,” Mr K.T. Hammond queried.

He said even if the T3 is made operational right now, there is no gas to power it and so there is no sense in approving such a deal.

“The T3 will continue to be idle while the nation also pays extra cost of $2.3 million every month for its use,” he noted.

“I think this deal should be scrapped because it is a stinking deal,” he told DAILY GUIDE.

But the deputy Minister of Power, John Jinapor, said on the floor that the whole deal involves a complete replacement of the plant and so the amount being asked is justified.

Parliament however, deferred the approval as a result of the serious concerns raised by the minority NPP.

The current parliament will reconvene on Thursday, January 4, to wind up on its business before its dissolution on the eve of January 7; but it is not clear whether the Ameri deal would be considered again before the final dissolution of the House.

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