Bridge Power Project, Ghana

The Bridge Power Project is a 424MW multi-fuel combined cycle power plant being developed in Tema, Ghana.

The fuel-flexible power plant will be capable of running on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), natural gas, or diesel.

The project is being developed by the Early Power Limited (EPL) consortium, sponsored by Endeavor Energy, Sage Petroleum and General Electric (GE).

Bridge Power is being developed in multiple stages (Stage 1a, Stage 1b and Stage 2). Net power generation capacities for each stage will be 145MW (Stage 1a), 57MW (Stage 1b), and 222MW for Stage 2.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the project was held in April 2017. In December 2018, EPL issued full construction Notice to Proceed on Stage I of the multi-fuel combined cycle power plant.

The project, which is expected to have an operational life of at least 25 years, entails a total estimated investment of around $948.5m.

Once complete, Bridge Power Project is set to become Africa’s first LPG fired power plant delivering electricity to support operations at schools, factories, offices, other local businesses, hospitals, and households.

Bridge Power Project Location

Bridge Power Project is located on brownfield land within the Tema Heavy Industrial Area (THIA), in the industrial port town of Tema in Ghana.

The location is approximately 27km east of Ghana’s capital city of Accra.

The power plant facilities will be on two separate sites- Power Plant Site 1 (PPS1) and Power Plant Site 2 (PPS2).

Bridge Power Project Infrastructure

The development of the power project will encompass building plant facilities, a fuel storage tank farm, and fuel and water delivery pipelines.

PPS1 (202MW) is planned to be developed in two stages with the operation of five GE TM2500+ in open cycle gas turbine (OCGT) mode (Stage 1a) and one GE steam turbine in combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) generating mode (Stage 1b).

A spare gas turbine LM2500 G4 will be installed as a replacement unit.

The 222MW PPS2 (Stage 2), located to the north of PPS1 and west of the tank farm site, will include four LM6000 PC Sprint variant units operating in CCGT mode. A spare LM6000 PC gas turbine will be stored on-site to be used as a replacement.

Ancillary infrastructure will include a more than 9km long pipeline for transporting LPG; an LPG storage tank farm; and additional pipelines to carry raw water and diesel to the project site.

According to the project’s Environmental and Social Impact Assessment, the pipeline will transport LPG from the existing Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) jetty to the TOR plant site, via the new project tank farm and eventually to the PPS1 and PPS2.

The tank farm will store LPG before its use by PPS1 and PPS2, while diesel fuel oil (DFO) pipelines will transport it from the Quantum petroleum site to PPS1 and PPS2.

Bridge Power Project will primarily use LPG to generate electricity. The plant will aim to become a natural gas-fuel facility within five years of becoming operational.

In case gas becomes unavailable, diesel will be used as the backup fuel.

A new pipeline will be laid from a Ghana Water Company (GWC) municipal supply network connection to connect the municipal supply network to water storage facilities within the LPG tank farm.

Power Evacuation

In Stage 1a, power generated by the plant will be transferred at 33kV to the existing Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Station H substation through an underground connection. The substation is located adjacent to the Volta River Authority (VRA) Tema Thermal Power Complex (TTPC).

Stage 1b power evacuation is planned via a new 161kV spur into a new double circuit 161kV overhead line which will run adjacent to the existing overhead lines.

Stage 2 power is planned to be transported via a new substation into the new GRIDCO 161kV power lines.

Under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA), EPL will supply power to the Electricity Corporation of Ghana (ECG). The PPA includes a five-year extension option.

Contractors Involved

The Bridge Power Project counts United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Clifford Chance, Senet Corporate Solicitors, WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff Engineering Services, Aurecon, Jacobs Consultancy, Associated Consultants, Trustee Services Limited (TSL) and Kina Advisory as private partners.

Jacobs Consultancy carried out an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the project.

In May 2017, GE announced that it would supply TM2500 gas turbine generator sets and steam turbines in a combined cycle (CC) configuration for the Bridge Power Plant.

METKA was selected as the project construction contractor and GuarantCo provided an EPC contractor payment guarantee for Stage 1 of the Bridge Power Plant.

Telic Engineering was engaged by Pro-Per Energy Services as a control and instrumentation engineer to support GE Power with commissioning activities for five TM2500 generation 8 units.