The Public Utility Workers Union, PUWU has petitioned President Akufo-Addo to discontinue the operations of the Teshie Desalination Plant due to the cost burden on the Ghana Water Company Limited.
According to the petition sighted by Prime Business and signed by the General Secretary of PUWU of TUC GH, Micheal Adumatta Nyantakyi, the Teshie Desalination Plant has the potential to collapse the whole Ghana Water Company.
The statement added that the debts from the Teshie Desalination Plant continue to pile up on the Ghana Water Company and funds mobilized from other operational regions.
Outlining the key problems for the petition, the statement said the average monthly cost for the operations of the Desalination Plant is equivalent to GHC 11,000,000.00.
The capacity charge is constant whether the plant is operational or not.
The statement also complained about too much salinity in the water and thereby not well accepted by consumers in the Teshie and Nungua communities.
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But the Board Chair of Ghana Water Company, Alexander Afenyo-Markin said he has no knowledge about the petition and debunked the claims of the workers.
American water services company, AquaVenture Holdings acquired a majority stake in the Teshie Desalination Plant in 2017.
Abengoa, operators of the plant signed an agreement with AquaVenture Holdings to transfer 56 per cent of its shares in the plant, worth about 26 million dollars.
The Teshie Desalination Plant was shut down for a renegotiation of the contract with government, which is believed to be costing Ghana 6 million cedis monthly.
The plant, which has reverse osmosis technology, commenced operations in 2015.
It has the capacity of producing 60,000 m3/day of water, sufficient for 500,000 residents within the Greater Accra region.
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