The first of two power barges to mitigate Ghana's power crisis is now expected to arrive in Ghana in September this year and not April as was originally anticipated.

Deputy Power Minister John Jinapor confirmed the rescheduling of the arrival date in an interview with Joy News, Wednesday.

He said the delay in completing the necessary paperwork for the barges led to the shift in date.

Government has signed a contract with Turkish company, Karpower to manufacture two emergency power ships to help solve Ghana's energy crisis.

Power Minister Dr Kwabena Donkor said the first barge was to arrive in Ghana in April.

However  an official of Karpower, Patrick Odrisco, told Joy Business' Daryl Kwawu his company cannot meet the April deadline.

Odrisco hinted the earliest time they will be able to complete the first barge is September.

He, however, told Kwawu that his company has an interim power barge they can make available to Ghana in 120 days if only Ghana's ECG is ready to take that proposal.

That barge would provide 120 megawatts of power, he indicated.

The Deputy Power Minister John Jinapor said Karpower had proposed that they could deliver power in four or five months starting from when the requisite letters of credit and other agreement were signed. He said they are still within that timeline except there were delays signing the necessary pap

On what measures government is taking to ameliorate the power crisis, since it has rescheduled the arrival dates of the power ship, Jinapor said  they are working assiduously to bring other plants in Ghana back on track.

Some of the plants have been shut down for regular maintenance.

"We are committed to working around the clock," to solve the power crisis, he assured.