Press statement from Energy Commission

PRESS STATEMENT

The attention of the Energy Commission has been drawn to publications in the media on the solar power plant to be developed by Mere Power Nzema Ltd, and wishes to clarify the position of the proposed project in the context of the implementation of the recently passed Renewable Energy Act, 2011 (Act 832).

The Energy Commission welcomes the initiative of Mere Power Nzema Ltd. and the confidence they have expressed in Ghana’s Renewable Energy Market. This company was the first to submit an application for a licence to produce solar power under the provisions of the Renewable Energy Act, 2011 (Act 832). The Energy Commission is however currently processing several other applications for licences for renewable energy production. We however wish to state that Mere Power has only been issued with a provisional licence and is yet to complete the procedure for obtaining a licence to operate a power plant. The company is yet to obtain the Siting Permit and Construction Permit that will authorise it to construct the solar plant at their selected location.

Mere Power will only be issued with the licence to operate as a Producer of Renewable Electricity under the Renewable Energy Act, 2011(Act 832) when they:

i. Obtain permits for siting and construction of their plant

ii. Submit Power Purchase Agreement signed with a consumer to the Commission iii. Complete construction of the plant

The procedure for obtaining a licence to operate a renewable energy plant can be found at the Energy Commission website (www.energycom.gov).

It should also be noted that the Feed-in-tariff rates and technology capacity limits are yet to be announced by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC). The capacity limits will define the maximum amount of generation that will be allocated to each renewable energy technology under the feed in tariff scheme. This means that for the moment, the capacity/size of the project is only provisional and subject to the capacity limit that will be specified.

The Energy Commission wishes to take this opportunity to encourage all prospective Renewable Energy Companies, especially those interested in other Renewable Energy Technologies to take advantage of the conducive environment provided by the Renewable Energy Act and participate in Ghana’s Renewable Energy Market.

VICTOR OWUSU PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER The News Editor JOY FM Accra

The News Editor B &FT Accra

The News Editor Daily Graphic Accra