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General Electric (GE), an American multinational conglomerate, is to provide 1,000 megawatts (MW) of power for the national electricity grid under the Ghana 1000 Project. This is in line with the government�s resolve to introduce an additional 5,000MW by 2016. The project comes with a floating vessel known as the Floating Storage Regasification Unit to supply gas to the power plant, an integrated gas-to-power solution that is expected to lower the cost of electricity. GE President The President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Oil and Gas, Mr Lorenzo Simonelli, who was at the Flagstaff House in Accra yesterday to announce the package, said the 1,000MW formed part of the process to help the government achieve the intended 5,000MW. Mr Lorenzo was received by Dr Mustapha Ahmed, the Minister of State in charge of Development Authorities, on behalf of President John Mahama. In the meantime, GE is in discussions with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to supply the first batch of 250MW in a move to improve the energy delivery system in the country. Oil and gas training Mr Lorenzo stated that in addition to power supply, GE had started training 1,000 Ghanaians, including officials of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), in oil and gas at the Oil and Gas University in Italy. He explained that the training programme was part of a series of programmes GE had outlined for Ghanaians, adding that the company would continue to lend support to the Ghanaian authorities to empower Ghanaians in the oil and gas industry. Health care The GE President alluded to the support his outfit extended to Ghana in the health sector, where 400 V-scans and portable ultrasound devices were presented to the government. He added that there was an option for an additional 1,600 V-scans to be supplied, saying that GE was spearheading a training execution plan for the V-Scan programme which was currently in process. Operations GE works in Ghana to support economic growth through infrastructure development, especially in the power, healthcare and transport sectors. The organisation is in talks with the government on plans to develop the critical infrastructure needed for continued energy management. Recently, GE opened a new 200-capacity permanent office in Accra with 45 employees, majority of who are Ghanaians. Minister Dr Ahmed expressed appreciation to GE for the gesture, while acknowledging the current difficulties in the energy sector. He echoed the government�s commitment to deliver on the additional 5,000MW to the national grid to help boost the installed energy capacity to an appreciable level to bring to an end the frequent power outages.