Bui Power to generate 150MW solar power by 2021

The Bui Power Authority has initiated plans to construct 150MW of solar power system within the next three years.

The project is expected to be piloted in phases, with phase 1 to have an installed capacity of 50MW, beginning early next year.

The other phases would be rolled out upon the successful execution of the initial 50MW.

The Director in-charge of Projects and Engineering at Bui Power Authority (BPA), Anthony Boye Osafo Kissi, who disclosed this in an interview at a two-day workshop organised by BPA to explain the operations of the authority to journalists in Accra, indicated that his outfit had already selected Kpone-based Strategic Security Systems, a solar energy expert entity, for the phase 1 of the project.

He added that BPA had also been in talks with China's Sinohydro Company and Italian energy giant, ENI, for partnership to develop 50MW each.

Mr Osafo Kissi explained the steps the Authority had taken so far, saying: "We have done the audition for solar plants and we have already selected a developer to do the first 50MW grid installed solar program.

"We on our own (BPA) are also trying to build a 5-year solar plant and we are doing it by 10MW phases. So, we will do the first 10 MW this year and then next year, we do probably 10MW or 20MW. We will continue to do this until we achieve the 50 MW target.

"The other partners, whom we are working with, are the independent power producers and hopefully, next year, they will be able to start 50MW and then we will be able to add up 50 another the following year.

"So, we're pretty sure that by the next two to three years, at least, we will be able have 150 solar installed capacity out of the 250MW," he explained.

Asked what could be the possible challenge as far as the solar power project is concerned, Mr Osafo Kissi, said although they are not anticipating to encounter any major impediment along the way, he pointed out that: "The challenge we envisage has to do with the transmission of solar power to the GRIDCo sub-station. Currently, the substations have been designed to take power from the Southern to the Northern Ghana. So they have installed the equipment there for that purpose. Now if you want to bring additional power to those substations definitely you have to do expansion works, which we will be talking to GRIDCo when we get there."