The Minister of State at the Ministry of Energy, Herbert Krapa, has commissioned Africa's largest rooftop photovoltaic solar plant, producing 16.8 megawatts of electricity at the Tema Free Zones Enclave.
Krapa, wearing protective gear, climbed the three-story rooftop to inspect the panels and turned on the switch for the $17 million project to begin providing electricity.
He commended Helios Solar Energy, a subsidiary of LMI Holdings, for putting the project together and helping the government achieve its target of increasing renewable energy in electricity provision.
Financed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the IMF Group, the project covers an area of 100,000 square meters. The construction, connection, and installation were carried out by Ghanaian engineers and technicians.
Krapa assured that the government would continue providing an enabling environment and policies for more private-sector renewable energy provision.
“By this project, you are creating greener and sustainable jobs for our people and helping us to meet our nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement,” he said.
He emphasized the importance of private sector funding, stating that the project serves as a lead for other private sector players to support the government in achieving the target of 10% renewable energy sources by 2030.
Krapa highlighted the socio-economic impact of the project on the economy, creating sustainable jobs, introducing skills and technology to young engineers, and contributing to the development of the solar energy industry in Ghana.
“You are helping to power industry and you are helping industry to also meet their green credentials,” the Minister of State said.
He stressed that the project feeds into the government's overall vision for the power sector and more specifically the renewable energy vision.
“Government is alive to its ethical responsibility that we have to help protect the planet, we have come up with a national energy transition framework which we did consulting across all 16 regions and have concluded that by 2060 we should have walked a net zero pathway,” he elaborated.
He also mentioned the benefits for the industry, such as reduced power costs, competitive positioning in the manufacturing sector, and the ability to meet green credentials.
The project aligns with the government's vision for the power sector and renewable energy, aiming to walk a net-zero pathway by 2060. Additionally, the National Energy Transition Framework has been modeled into an investment plan launched by the president at the UN General Assembly.
A significant number of projects are required for the implementation of this plan to become a reality.
NAY/MA
