The President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has commissioned the Volta River Authority’s 13MW Solar Power Project.
According to the President, the Project, which is the first phase of what will be a 28MW plant in Kaleo, will increase the nation’s renewable energy generation mix and reiterate the commitment the Ghanaian Government has to diversify the country’s energy generation portfolio.
Speaking at the ceremony in Kaleo on 23 August, the President indicated that the Kaleo Solar Plants use of natural gas for thermal generation, adoption of cleaner cooking solutions and decarbonisation of oil production is helping Ghana accelerate the attainment of the Nationally Determined Contributions, as presented at COP26.
“The Akufo-Addo Government has invested heavily in the electricity transmission network, which will enable us to evacuate more renewable energy through the national grid to support the extension of electricity to all parts of Ghana. For this reason, Kaleo has a dedicated transmission line that evacuates power from the current and future solar capacity at Kaleo to the GRIDCo substation at Wa” said President Akufo-Addo.
Since 1961, almost all the electricity generation has been located in the middle and southern parts of Ghana. The Volta River Authority is one of the main vehicles from improving access to electricity, particularly in the northern regions of the country.
The President also said the Kaleo Project will provide a number of benefits to the region, including increasing the geographic spread of power generation assets; improving the reliance of the national power system; stabilising voltage levels and the reliability of power supply in the Upper West region; and ultimately reducing the nation’s carbon footprint.
