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| Photovoltaic (PV) Solar plant |
19-01-2012
The Volta River Authority (VRA) is in the process of constructing a 40 million dollar Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Plant in four strategic locations in the Upper East and Upper West Regions. These are Navrongo in the Upper East and Jirapa, Lawra and Kaleo in the Upper West Region. The installation of the 10 megawatt PV plants shall facilitate the harnessing of the renewable resource of solar power and to generate electricity without the utilization of the fossil fuel. A Mechanical Engineer at the Engineering Services Department of the VRA, Abdulai Khalil who announced this at a local stakeholders hearing in Navrongo said the move is to augment government’s efforts aimed at generating 10 percent of the country’s energy needs for renewable source by 2015, adding that VRA as a bulk power producer also decided to couch a renewable energy policy for the authority to generate 15 percent of government’s target. The policy he disclosed would see to the development of government’s Renewable Energy Policy Framework for Climate Change Mitigation in Ghana. He said the first phase of the solar power project which is to be installed in Navrongo is expected to cost 8 million dollars and would serve an estimated 11,000 people in and around the project site. The project when completed would have the capacity of generating 3 megawatts of power and would be constructed with VRA’s internally generated source. The installation of the Mr Khalil further noted has a lifespan of 25 years and would require the installation of panels, inverters, transformers, and 34 KV and transmission lines for effective service delivery. Its successful completion, he moreover said, would compel VRA to extend power to other deprived areas of the region and beyond. Touching on the economic, social and environmental benefit of the project, Mr. Khalil strongly confirmed that award of contracts for the construction of the project would involve natives of the beneficiary communities. This, he assured, would create employment opportunities for the teeming unemployed youth in the area. Another benefit Mr Khalil revealed will be the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a requirement captured under the Kyoto protocol that establishes legitimate mechanisms that will help developing countries to meet their emission reduction target. Under the said mechanism, it was important for VRA to introduce to the host communities the impact of the project, hence the need for organizing the stakeholders hearing. The meeting which was therefore organized under an initiative dubbed: “Clean Development Mechanisms”, was to discuss issues pertaining to the construction and utilization of the solar plant in the region and to collate suggestions and recommendations from participants. In an interview with Radio Ghana, the Regional Principal Programmes Officer of EPA, Mr. Frank Alormene said his outfit has put in place solid measures to ensure that the installation of the project do not negatively affect the people but rather ensure its positive impact on beneficiaries. He described the meeting as laudable and charged VRA to respond to all required processes necessary for ensuring effective and constant power supply.
GBC END IA/
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