The President, John Agyekum Kufour, on August 24, 2007, cut the sod for the commencement of the Bui Hydroelectric Project.

Addressing a grand durbar, the President pointed out that the consumption of electricity has increased beyond imagination with the advent of industrialization and national transformation. He recalled that since 2001, no effort have been spared to secure the necessary funding to construct the Bui Dam as a long-term strategy to add to the nation's power supply.

President Kufour observed that an extensive environmental monitoring and mitigation plan has been incorporated into the design of the project to minimize possible harmful effects. The studies, he said, indicates that about 2,000 people would need to be resettled.

He assured that Government would ensure that compensatory plans for the affected people draw extensively on experiences from the earlier resettlements resulting from the Akosombo and Kpong hydro-electric projects.

He thanked the Chinese Government for the support.

“The Bui project is expected to be completed in early 2012 and will be part of the government's overall plan to triple energy supply capacity from current 2,000 to 6,000 megawatts by 2015”, the president stressed.

The Chairman for the National Planning Committee, who is also the chairman for the ceremony, Hon J.H Mensah, pointed out that the construction of the dam it significant in the history of Ghana so he asked to support.

The Project is expected to cost 622 million dollars.