VRA, ECG Support Toxic Equipment Ban

By Esther Awuah

The Volta River Authority (VRA) and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) have backed a move by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban the importation of equipment which contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

PCB, a chemical belonging to a class of compounds known as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), is used in industrial and commercial applications including dielectric fluids in transformers and capacitors.

PCBs have a range of toxicity and have indeed been established to cause cancer.

They also threaten the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system and endocrine system if not handled properly.

Though there are currently no specific regulations pertaining to PCBs in Ghana, inventories on production, export, import and use of PCB containing equipment complied in 2003 indicate that ECG as well as VRA and their clients are the major holders of PCBs.

However, these institutions have supported the EPA and its funding agencies to reduce and eliminate the use of PCBs.

At a media briefing in Accra to explain the details of the project, John Pwamang, Director of Chemicals Control and Management at the EPA said “the EPA, in partnership with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), undertook a project which sampled and analyzed 9,000 transformers in all 10 regions of Ghana, and found out about 10 percent contained PCBs.

The transformers found to contain PCBs would be discarded and replaced with new ones.”

He explained that though there is no specific legislation that formally prohibits the importation of PCBs and equipment containing PCBs, such imports are clearly in contravention of the Stockholm Convention.

Ghana ratified the Stockholm Convention in May 3, 2003, which is an international environmental treaty that aims to eliminate or restrict the production and use of POPs so as to protect human health and the environment.

Mr. Pwamang said PCB Project is aimed at strengthening the capabilities and capacity of government officials and other stakeholders to address PCB identification and eliminate them would end in 2013.

He indicated that under the project draft legislation on the control and management of PCB had been developed.

He noted that with the assistance from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UNITAR the EPA as part of its capacity building project presented the VRA, ECG, the Ghana Grid Company and the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) with L-2000 PCB analyzers each amounting to $40,000 to enable them check imported dielectric fluids and potential PBC-containing equipment such as transformers.

 “All these coupled with the development of PCB management plan would help ensure Ghana successfully eliminates PCBs by 2028,” Mr. Pwamang noted.

In a speech read on his behalf, Jonathan Krueger, Manager, Chemicals and Waste Management programmes UNITAR said so far the project has been able to establish a steering committee which meets quarterly to review the project progress and provide guidance for future project activities.

He thanked the various stakeholders for their support in ensuring that Ghana becomes PBC-free by 2028.