Customers

The VRA's major bulk customer is the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG). Power sold to ECG caters mainly for domestic, industrial and commercial concerns. Bulk sales are also made to a number of mining companies, including AngloGold Ashanti, Newmont Ghana Gold Ltd., Goldfields Ghana Ltd., Golden Star Resources Group. Others are Aluworks, Akosombo Textile Ltd., and Diamond Cement Ghana Ltd. International energy sales to neighbouring countries include Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso.

Links to Customers and Neighbouring Countries

The VRA reaches its customers and neighbouring countries through GRIDCO. GRIDCO's transmission system covers the entire country, and is also connected with the national electricity grids of Cote d'lvoire, Compagnie Ivoirienne d'Electricité (CIE), Togo, Communauté Electrique du Benin (CEB), and Burkina Faso (SONABEL). These interconnections now serve as part of the arrangement under the West Africa Power Pool (WAPP).

Regional Cooperation

The VRA is participating in the development of a power pooling mechanism to provide the West-African sub-region increased accessibility, availability and affordability to electricity under the auspices of the member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). In this context, the VRA and GRIDCO are building the Ghana component of a new 330kV transmission line, which starts from Aboadze to Tema, and then to Momehagou (Togo) under the West African Power Pool Project. The line is expected to be completed and commissioned by the end of December 2009.

The VRA is also the major foundation customer of the West African Gas Pipeline Project (WAGPP), which involves the construction of a 20 - inch 600km long natural gas transmission pipeline and associated facilities to support the energy requirements of the West African sub-region. The objective of the VRA's participation in the WAGPP is to substitute the environmentally cleaner and cheaper gas fuel for light crude oil in an era of rising cost of crude oil. This will significantly reduce the cost of thermal generation and increase electricity availability, accessibility and affordability.

The off-shore pipeline has been completed with the remaining on-shore pipeline works and other ancillary installations expected to be completed by December 2009.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), acknowledging the VRA's distinctive competencies in power system operations, appointed the VRA as the principal consulting agency that implemented an Emergency Power Programme (EPP) in Liberia after years of conflict in 2008. The EPP was in two phases: construction and operation. It provided for 2.65MVA of power to a section of Monrovia through distribution grids in Congo Town and Kru Town and was intended to serve institutional customers such as hospitals, schools, police stations, social and community facilities and for street lighting along the main route of the Grid.

The VRA is a founding member of the Union of Producers, Transporters and Distributors of Electric Power in Africa (UPDEA). UPDEA aims to promote the integration and development of the African power sector through active cooperation among its members and also between its members on one hand and all international power sector organizations and donors on the other hand. UPDEA is a permanent member of the Executive Council of the African Energy Commission and a preferred partner of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).

Non Power Activities

The VRA continues to demonstrate its social responsiveness through various programmes designed to enhance the socio-economic and physical environment of the lakeside and downstream communities.

It includes annual commitment of the cedi equivalent of US$500,000.00 to a Resettlement Trust Fund to support development initiatives in 52 resettlement towns. In 2008 the fund was used to support projects for environmental improvement, social welfare, public health, education, electricity, potable water supply and sanitation. In addition, VRA's Community Development Initiative (CDI) programme introduced in 2003, as a framework for overall development of it communities, catered for requests for small-scale projects.

The VRA runs hospitals at Akosombo and Aboadze, equipped with excellent facilities, and provides free specialist and general medical care to communities along the Volta Lake accessible only by boat, through its medical boat christened ONIPA NUA.

The Authority maintains a dredging programme at the estuary of the Volta River at Ada to reduce the incidence of Bilharzia, and to restore the ecosystem in the area. VRA also runs afforestation programmes aimed at reducing siltation of the Volta Lake through the restoration of permanent vegetative cover on the slopes bordering the Lake.

A collaborative project with Clark Sustainable Resource Developments Ltd. (CSRD), is aimed, amongst others, at undertaking the harvesting of underwater tropical timber resources in the Volta Lake to alleviate the hazards created by the submerged trees, and thus improve lake transportation safety. This Volta Lake project financed only with private capital represents direct foreign investment in Ghana.

The VRA runs first and second cycle schools for children of staff and local communities at Akosombo, Akuse and Aboadze. It also administers Local Authority functions in the Akosombo Township.

Relations with some statutory bodies

The VRA has relations with the following statutory bodies:

• Ministry of Energy - Supervisory Ministry providing policy direction for the energy sector.
• Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) -An independent regulatory commission with oversight responsibility for tariff and rate setting, and provision of the highest quality of electricity to consumers.
• Energy Commission - Provides advice to the Government of Ghana on energy policy, conducts indicative planning/least cost expansion planning of wholesale supply of electricity, regulates licenses, establishes and monitors standards of performance as well as industry rules of practice for electric utilities.

Subsidiary Companies

In fulfillment of its responsibility to provide facilities and assistance for the socio-economic development of the Volta Basin, the Authority operates two subsidiary companies: Akosombo Hotels Limited and the Volta Lake Transport Company Limited .

Akosombo Hotels Ltd

The Akosombo Hotels Limited incorporated in 1970 runs a three-star hotel, restaurant, modern conference/seminar facilities, pleasure activities, including cruising on the Lake by MV Dodi Princess , and promotes tourism.

Volta Lake Transport Company

The Volta Lake Transport Company incorporated in 1970, operates river transportation for passengers, bulk haulage of petroleum products and significant quantity of cement, and cross-lake ferry services along the Volta Lake.