GHANA – Swiss energy company Nek has announced plans to generate 1,000 MW of electricity from several wind farms in Ghana
According to a report by Africa Energy Portal the announcement puts Ghana on the path of becoming one of Africa’s leading wind energy producers.
NEK revealed in a statement that the ambitious wind power project will be implemented in several phases.
The first phase is expected to inject 160MW of green energy to the nation grid upon completion while the second phase is expected to inject an additional 75MW of wind power, according to the Swiss energy company.
The Independent Power Producer (IPP) believes that the implementation of this mega project is in line with Ghanaian government’s reforms in the renewable energy sector.
NEK further explained that the implementation of this mega project would support the implementation of Law 832 on the development of renewable energy in Ghana, notably through the creation of a fund to facilitate financing.
The Swiss energy company already has major concessions in Ghana one being in in the locality of Amlakpo where it plans build a 200 MW wind farm on a plot of land of about 58 km².
The company also plans to construct another wind farm at Ayitepa in the south-east of Ghana which upon successful completion is expected to produce 225MW of wind power.
Nek revealed that it has plans to sell the kWh of electricity generated by the Ayitepa wind farm to the state-owned Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) at 8.9 cents.
The implementation of Nek’s mega-wind project is expected to help diversify Ghana’s electricity mix, which is dominated by thermal power (close to 2,800 MW) generated by large fossil-fuel-fired power plants.
Hydropower comes second with an installed capacity of 1,580 MW according to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Hydropower production is however not as reliable as it is strongly affected by “changing hydrological conditions,” such as declining river flows.
In recognition of the adverse impact of fossil energy on the environment and the unreliability of hydropower, Ghana resolved to diversify its energy mix to make it more sustainable future.
This led to the development of a National Energy Policy with an objective of using renewable energy for 10 percent of total energy production by 2030.
NEK’s ambitious project would thus play a key role in helping Ghana achieve its goal of diversifying its energy sources and in reducing the impact of its power production on the environment.
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