4000MW worth of renewable energy licences issued

The Ministry of Power has issued 80 licences worth 4,000 megawatts of power generation capacity to businesses that are seeking to invest in the renewable energy sector, Deputy Minister of Power John Abu Jinapor has disclosed.

The ministry has also launched a tender process with accompanying guarantees to solicit an investor to set up a 20-megawatt solar plant in the country.

The minister announced these when he launched the Energy Commission’s second Renewable Energy Fair: a three-day event in Accra that is expected to convene policymakers and actors in the power industry to collectively push for growth of the renewables sector.

According to Mr. Jinapor, these developments in the power sector are in line with his ministry’s plan to improve private sector participation in the power sector toward the provision of dependable energy and cost-effective power.

He said in his remarks: “This is an indication of strong collaboration between government, the private sector and civil society for the promotion of renewable energy and energy efficiency.

“We hope that this fair will facilitate further investments in the renewable energy sector, by creating linkages between various stakeholders in a manner that promotes mechanisms to push the power sector.”

Mr. Jinapor said government intends to extensively leverage renewables—especially solar energy—as an alternative to address the power needs of people in remote parts of the country.

He said: “Renewable energy technologies such as mini-grid, standalone and utility scale renewable energy power plants, as well as energy-efficiency measures, have been adopted by the ministry as key strategies for diversifying the generation mix as a way of increasing energy access”.

In that regard, he assured that the Power Ministry will continue to provide the platform for government agencies and various actors in the power supply chain to collectively push the renewable energy agenda.

He added: “The enactment of the Renewable Energy Act, for instance, has created an enabling environment for developing and utilising the country’s renewable energy resources; and this has led to the rolling-out of several renewable energy initiatives, especially in remote parts of the country.”

The second Renewable Energy Fair is on the theme ‘Renewable energy and energy efficiency: accelerating energy access and security’, and has been scheduled to take place from August 9-11 at the Accra International Conference Centre.

Board chairman of the Energy Commission Dr. Kwame Ampofo indicated that the fair will bring together actors in the renewable energy value chain to share experiences and expertise, gain better understanding of the regulatory environment, as well as firm-up business transactions.

He added: “This fair will provide the platform for actors to collectively develop a vibrant and viable market as well as expedite the promotion and widespread adoption of renewable energy and energy-efficiency technologies in the country”.