Image: Afrik21
The Government of Ghana and renewable energy developer, the Bui Power Authority (BPA), have announced plans to construct eight solar plants in the northern part of the country in a bid to harness Ghana’s vast solar resources and increase renewable energy generation.
The BPA has stated that site-selection is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2022 and that the proposed areas include the Yendi, Northern, Buipe and Sawla, Savannah, Zebilla, and Bolgatanga, Upper East and Tumu, Upper West regions, which are all situated in proximity to substations of the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) in the northern part of the country. This strategic location allows the plants, with capacities ranging from 10 MWp to 100 MWp, to be easily tied into the National Interconnected Transmission System.
The capacity of each plant will be determined by size and specifications provided by investors.
“We’ve gone far with plans, and it is even possible that by next year January-February, we should be having some people who will be coming in to start the plants. We are poised for this,” stated Samuel Kofi Dzamesi, BPA CEO.
The announcement reaffirms Ghana’s commitment to renewable energy and its sustainable development goals, with BPA having been mandated to produce power from renewable sources, such as wind and solar, to reduce methane emissions.
BPA’s current renewable energy projects include the Bui Generating Station’s 404 MW hydroelectric dam and 250 MW solar project, the 1 MWp and 5 MWp floating solar PV systems, and the 25 kW Tsatsadu micro-hydro plant.
“If we want to do real energy, every location in Ghana where there is a GRIDCo substation, there is the possibility of putting a solar plant. This is our target. Also, for all rivers in the country where we can generate power, we should be able to target them,” Dzamesi stated, adding, “We are doing 259 MW; we have proposals from other countries to do some 300 MW. By 2024, BPA should be running not less than 700 MWp of solar by 2024.”
BPA also announced that it will collaborate with The University of Renewable Energy, situated in Sunyani, in the Bono Region, for newly trained and skilled graduates to become involved in various areas of the projects.
The announcement reaffirms the BPA’s commitment to the development of renewable energy following the signing of the BPA Amendment Act 2020 (Act 1046) in accordance with the Paris Agreement, which empowers the BPA to develop renewable and alternative energy in Ghana.