contents editor ing. henry teinor journalist deborah enam apetorgbor marketing cornelius kwame atiase gerald odum-mensah creative design samuel a. mensah (0556125269) web developer michael kwabena afreh publisher energy media group (emg) office: east legon, accra tel: +233 559 300 631 email: info@energyghana.com web: www.energyghana.com dear reader, profound thanks for your interest to read this edition of the energy ghana magazine. it means a lot to us at the energy media group. the next edi- tion of your cherished magazine promises exciting and insightful presen- tation of happenings in ghana’s energy sector. be sure not to miss it your feedback on this issue of the magazine is greatly welcome, together with suggestions for the next edition: get in touch deborah@energyghana.com deborah enam apetorgbor, journalist. energy ghana magazine ing. henry teinor, editor renewables, digitisation underline vra’s focus for the future 22 32 56 13 51

editorial hello, w elcome to this edition of the energy ghana maga- zine, an industry publication that brings you hap- penings in the energy sector. in this issue, we discuss how a growing consciousness on climate change is pushing large-scale cross-border adop- tion of cleaner energy sources through calculated investments in renewable energy. we also look at the expediency of a dedicated authority for renewable en- ergy development in the country; and feature an exclusive interview with fred oware, bui power authority’s chief executive, as he details the bpa’s journey and course for the future. this issue also recalls the 4th ghana energy awards in great photos, cele- brating innovation and excellence in the country’s energy sector. we also take a look at how the volta river authority plans to spearhead ghana’s energy transition, and ghana gas’ plan for another processing plant. commercialising electric vehicles in ghana, assessing the effectiveness of the community mining scheme against ‘galamsey’ and highlights on events in the petroleum downstream and upstream sectors, as well as the power sec- tor are featured in this july edition of the energy ghana magazine. ing. henry teinor editor do enjoy!

energy news/africa renewable energy alone not enough to address africa’s energy crisis • renewable energy alone may not be enough to address africa’s energy cri- sis. despite decreasing costs of renewable technologies accelerating develop- ments, financing, intermittency, and feasibility challenges characteristic of renewables continue to hinder economic growth. the promotion of renewable de- velopments, the value of private participation and the role of nat- ural gas remain key in energy transition considerations. africa’s energy transition, motivated by the need to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and the alleviation of en- ergy poverty by 2050, remains a top pri- ority and critical point of discussion in 2021. with international treaties such as the united nations’ (un) sustainable de- velopment goals and the un framework convention on climate change influenc- ing the shift from traditional fossil fuels to renewable energy developments, many african countries have implemented sup- portive policies and regulation, increased independent power producer (ipp) par- ticipation, and recognized the role of nat- ural gas as a transitionary resource. in africa, energy poverty remains a significant concern with over 640 million people lacking access to electricity. with energy poverty comprising a direct hin- drance to economic growth, there has been a renewed focus on renewable power generation developments to meet rising demand, address electrification targets, and comply with global climate initiatives. “ countries are shifting to private ownership and operatorship of transmission infra- structure to acceler- ate grid developments and reduce energy poverty in a bid to fast-track renewable develop- ments and establish an enabling environ- ment for investment, many african countries have implemented renewable supportive policies and regulations. specifically, countries such as morocco with its law 13-09 providing a legal framework for the development of renew- able energy; egypt’s net-metering scheme to promote distributed solar; and south africa’s integrated resource plan, have established investor confidence, leading to increased developments. despite the renewed focus on renew- able developments, one of the primary challenges slowing down africa’s energy transition comprises the lack of sufficient finance required for large-scale power generation developments. as addleshaw & goddard state in their africa energy transition: policy and regulatory develop- ments report, africa’s electricity markets – the majority of which are state-funded and operated – may require significant amounts of private capital if they are to shift to 100% renewable energy genera- tion. the international energy agency (iea) notes, in its electricity market re- port 2020, that the majority of countries have vertically integrated utilities with lit- tle or no private participation. this limits grid development and generation to pub- lic funds. accordingly, countries such as south africa have introduced programs intended to boost independent power producer (ipp) participation and drive in- vestment into associated renewable proj- ects. additionally, countries are shifting to private ownership and operatorship of july 2021 energyghana.com 07

industry news /downstream national road safety campaign vivo energy, nrsa, others join hands • drivers at the launch of the national road safety campaign vivo energy ghana, the exclusive marketers and distributors of shell branded products and services in partnership with the national road safety authority (nrsa) is contributing to address the challenge of road safety with the ‘stop, think & drive’ campaign. dubbed: “driving ghana safe a collective responsibility,” the company is facilitating this training together with its transporters, s.o frimpong, j. k. horgle and j. k. ahiadome transport company limited. ‘stop, think & drive’ with a vision of becoming africa’s most respected energy business, vivo en- ergy has relentlessly gone beyond its dis- tribution business to play its role as a socially responsible company. operating 238 retail stations across the country, the company has yet again proven its thought leadership with the introduction of its ‘stop, think & drive’ national road safety campaign. the campaign aims to raise road safety awareness among high risk commercial drivers and motorcycle riders to provide improved and safer transport services to commuters. over thirty defensive driving training sessions are to be held for com- mercial drivers and motorcycle riders across greater accra, ashanti and the western regions. defensive driving is a particular style of road driving that makes use of various techniques and tactics to help drivers stay safe and keep away from problems caused by other road users or poor weather con- “ over thirty defensive driving training ses- sions are to be held for commercial driv- ers and motorcycle riders across greater accra, ashanti and the western regions ditions. participants under the campaign will be accordingly taken through a com- prehensive defensive driving training module. managing director of vivo energy ghana, mr. ben hassan ouattara, at the launch of the campaign noted the training is to increase drivers’ risk awareness, pro- mote attitude change and increase the competence of beneficiary drivers and re- duce carnage on roads. “as an energy company and fuel distributor, we recog- nise that the government cannot succeed in reducing carnages on our roads if they act alone. it is for this reason that vivo en- ergy ghana in partnership with its trans- porters continue to demonstrate its long-term commitment to the protection of lives through the implementation of road safety initiatives with support from the national road safety authority,” notes mr. ouattara. director-general of the national road safety commission, ing. may obiri- yeboah, emphasizing the importance and purpose of the campaign, stressed that though the skill to drive is important, the consciousness to realise that safety mat- ters in spite of road conditions and actions of others is paramount. while she admit- ted to the existential challenge of poor road networks and their drawbacks to safe driving, attitudes of commercial drivers to these difficulties, she noted, should not be one of indiscipline, but of protectiveness and safety always. source: energy ghana july 2021 energyghana.com 11

industry news upstream ghana gas to build 2nd processing plant, after atuabo success • the atuabo plant, ghana’s first- ever natural gas processing plant. ghana gas is planning to con- struct a second gas processing plant to supplement its atuabo gas plant. the newly con- structed plant would be expected to double ghana’s gas processing capacity while hav- ing a positive bearing on the country’s economy. atuabo gas plant the atuabo plant, ghana’s first-ever natural gas processing plant, was realised through a billion dollar joint investment - a us$850 million loan from the chinese development bank and us$150 million in counterpart funding by the government of ghana. in recent years, the plant found in atuabo in the western region has in- stalled some additional facilities to make its operations more efficient and delivery more reliable. key among these was the in- stallation of a de-ethanizer overhead compressor at the gas processing plant to ensure outage protection of critical equip- ment for both planned and unplanned out- ages. the gesner pipelines and expansion of takoradi regulating and metering sta- tion has enabled the company to increase its delivery volume from about 90mmscfd to 300mmscfd today. significantly, the plant has slashed ghana’s import bill for diesel oil, enabling the country to turn its erstwhile trade deficits into trade surpluses since the end a similar financing structure for its con- struction as the one used for atuabo – with loan financing from china being the pri- mary mode – government is rather looking to leverage on local content and participa- tion. therefore, the new plant will involve a private partner which will finance and construct the plant, and which will subse- quently be co-managed by the private partner and ghana gas itself, before it is fully transferred to the state. the planned new processing plant, which will be located to the north of the at- uabo plant, is expected to be up and run- ning by 2024. contrastingly, whereas the atuabo plant was constructed utilising the technical skills of foreigners, this new plant is looking to take advantage of local expertise and participation. as part of the indigenisation drive of the current ceo of ghana gas, dr ben k. d. asante, 56 chinese technical experts have been replaced with ghanaians to ensure the company and its activities are fully run by indigenes. the contractor for the first project, sinopec, was previously engaged by ghana gas under a service contract to operate the plant on its behalf while providing the required technology transfer and training to the staff of the company. it is quite im- pressive to know that the push for com- plete indigenisation hasn’t resulted in any accident or operational failure over the “ currently, ghana has the capacity to produce 365 million standard cubic feet per day (mscfd) of gas from two of its three operational oil and gas fields of 2016 without having to engineer a huge increase in export revenues. 2nd gas plant project while ghana could follow through with july 2021 energyghana.com 13

profile • bui power authority generation station presently, bui power au- thority can boast of solar projects across the country, both completed and under- way. it has secured six dif- ferent sites apart from bui, around the five northern re- gions for these projects. the sites at sawla, tumu, bawku, zebilla, yendi and buipe, will have over 100mw generation capacity w m 0 0 1 (ecg). this agreement stipulates a sup- ply of 1030gw of energy each year to the power distributor. such a situation actu- ally hindered generation of more electric- ity on the part of bpa other than the above requirement, as there would be no market for the extra. fortunately, with the latest amendment to the act, this has changed and the authority now has the country, both completed and underway. it has secured six different sites apart from bui, around the five northern re- gions for these projects. the sites at sawla, tumu, bawku, zebilla, yendi and buipe, will have over 100mw generation capacity, and are short distances, in most cases, less than five kilometers, from the ghana grid company’s terminal points for bulk offloading. by close of this year, the authority plans to add wind energy. concerns one thing that troubles the author- ity, however, is this: it’s stance in the overall scheme of things is not clear. though the organisation wants to assist government in its quest to achieve its vi- sion of increasing the solar component in the energy mix to ten per cent by 2030, hints of a merger with the volta river authority deflates this goal. although he feels this is a bit discouraging, fred oware believes there is nothing wrong if government wants to merge the two, however, there ought to be some clarity. “i’ve been here [at bpa] for four years, and in some years there have been discussions on this matter and in other years nothing is said about it. so, it keeps you wondering if we are going to go this way or that way. i think there ought to be clarity that bpa, though government- funded, we want to keep it as it is and let it grow to become an alternative to vra, so that we have two major public entities in the generation sector,” he explained. thus, beyond the enabling act, the au- thority wants to have a clear statement from the ministry to give it the required impetus to energise the bpa to continue on their current trajectory. for the bpa, however, a limitation that impedes their capability to engage meaningful partnerships with investors has been operating beyond the power purchase agreement (ppa) that it has with the electricity company of ghana july 2021 “ we have built our own substation for solar evacuation, and we’re talking about 250mw at bui as one location. but we are still having con- versations with gridco to see how much can be taken.” fred oware, chief executive of bpa flexibility to scout for off-takers for any quantity generated. another restraining factor for the green powerhouse has been the grid it- self. fred oware is uncertain whether grid operators are in a position to take as much power as produced. “we have built our own substation for solar evacuation, and we’re talking about 250mw at bui as one location. but we are still having con- versations with gridco to see how much can be taken.” he says once the grid is tightened up and improved, the authority can fully develop all its stations over the next ten years. what bpa wants having thus demonstrated its strength, both in leadership and project execution in the renewable industry for four consistent years, bui power author- ity is asking government to allow it to take over a significant portion of the mandate envisaged for the new but yet- to-be renewable energy authority, an action which will be the ultimate en- dorsement of their vision for the coun- try’s re sector. a bpa future fred oware believes if the bpa is al- lowed to operate on its existing course of being leaders in renewable energy in ghana, they would doubtlessly become perhaps as big as or more ambitiously bigger than the vra in a decade. if per- mitted to continue on the vision set, he was certain in the next ten years, bui power authority would be managing plants around the country, all together not less than 2000mw. yet, should there be a merger, “then what it means is that all the dreams we have today would have been submerged in the ocean of vra.” source: energy ghana energyghana.com 17

company profile sunon asogli power ghana limited sunon asogli power ghana limited is a power generating company jointly owned by shenzhen energy group company ltd and the china african development fund. the facility is a modern, high efficient, environmentally friendly, natural gas fuel combined cycle power plant situated on a 50 acre land at tema, accra. it is the first successful independent power producer in ghana to invest, construct and operate an efficient combined cycle natural gas power plant with installed capacity of 560mw-developed in two phases, worth usd790 million. the phase i of 200mw was com- pleted in 2010 and the phase ii of 360mw was commercialized in january 2017. it is located in the heavy industrial area, kpone, in the greater accra region. as the first and largest independent power plant in the country, sunon asogli power in partnership with the ghana grid company, sunon asogli power commissioned a 161/360 auto transformer in early 2020 which afforded the power plant the means to ensure constant generation at full capacity, especially during the early months of the pandemic in ghana. in respect of this, the company was the highest power generator in the country for the months of june and july 2020. sunon asogli power is undoubtedly one of the fastest growing companies in the sector, that has proved its mettle ensuring ex- cellence in power generation, as well as the most eco-friendly power plant and top expatriate energy company. to guarantee re- liability, it has built a 30000mt lco storage tank for use in gener- ation in case of gas curtailment. present in its plant is an lng regasification plant, the first of its kind in ghana and africa. consistently, the company has met and exceeded its energy sup- ply requirement–the contracted annual energy to the electricity company of ghana, for the benefit of ghanaians. source: energy ghana usd 790m it is the first successful inde- pendent power producer in ghana to invest, construct and operate an efficient combined cycle natural gas power plant installed capacity of with 560mw-developed two phases, worth usd790 million. in eco-friendly power plant sunon asogli power is un- doubtedly one of the fastest growing companies in the sec- tor, that has proved its mettle ensuring excellence in power generation, as well as the most eco-friendly power plant and top expatriate energy company.

emg: having worked in other sec- tors, especially the private sector, would you say that it has helped you shape this organisation towards the ‘public institution with a private sec- tor mindset’? fo: yes. once you work in the public sector for a very long time, i think you get bulked down by the various protocols in the decision-making process. all that is summed up in one single word – bureau- cracy. in the private sector, however, under circumstances of competition in whichever industry you find yourself, you are required to take decisions on your feet and take responsibility for those decisions. the public sector on the other hand oper- ates on the principle of shared responsi- bilities. therefore, you are supposed to go through layers of authority to get certain approvals before you can take decisions. and so, with that experience, you find a way of engaging your board on a continu- ous basis so that decision-taking becomes easier. so, when we came in what we did was that we had a whatsapp platform and a common portal for all the directors. i didn’t wait to till it was time for board meetings before i furnish them with board papers. on monthly basis, i forwarded all the management reports, unedited, to them, for them to see what’s going on in each and every department. in some cases, because the plant is not here for them to easily visit, we accompany them with pictures, when doing maintenance for example. on daily basis, whatever was done is captured either in video or still pic- tures and put on the portals. when covid broke out, we were giving them updates. we reported on every single thing that happened or didn’t happen. so, when you feed your board with such data, it is very easy to get their approvals. this is because information flow is on a continuous basis, and you tend to lead them to the decision-making point even before you put the questions to them through formal meetings. where it’s nec- essary to take a quick decision, you do it even on the phone and get the ratification by getting a written resolution and pass it around for them to sign after they have given you their approval. so, these are the kind of private sector management practices that i have brought here. it makes things easy. people might not understand it and think that you are riding the storm by yourself, but you have a full board approval in everything that you do. your management style appears in a seamless way because you do this in a continuous way. emg: what is unique about fred oware that motivated his reappoint- ment as ceo of bpa? fo: i almost resisted it. in fact when i was told to come here, i actually went to the president and asked him with respect why i should come back having worked here before. his excellency asked me to come finish what i started. i, thus, took it as an honour rather than putting up any argument or resistance. so, i don’t suggest that perhaps i have some special skills ex- clusively mine that the president couldn’t get somebody else. “ the scriptures say that, “a king is known by those he sits in counsel with”, and i think it’s been my charac- ter to hire people who are better qualified than my- self around me. this has been my record everywhere that i have worked. be it as it may, i have enjoyed the past four years here. the scriptures say that, “a king is known by those he sits in counsel with”, and i think it’s been my character to hire people who are better qualified than myself around me. this has been my record everywhere that i have worked. i make sure that i hire people who have bet- ter credentials without being scared or in- timidated by their knowledge. basically, that’s what i would say perhaps sets me aside from other people. also, it doesn’t matter your station in life. i think everyone ought to be humble and learn from other people. when i took this job, even though i had been here as the first ceo and i had hired the engi- neers i came back to meet, for the first month, every morning i was in the board room getting them to walk me through. not by way of just reporting to me, but also to enable me learn what has been ac- complished and to give me a better under- standing of the processes and the logic of the business here. to the extent that, i re- member the first retreat that i asked for in may 2017, we sat throughout the meeting and people were wondering how i spoke and asked questions like an engineer even though i had a banking background. it was only because i had submitted myself to the best brains here to school me, so i properly understand what they are doing, use my management experience to then make some forecasts and be able to ask questions as to why we are not doing it this way or that way. if you don’t have humility and you think you are the boss, so you start taking deci- sions and throwing your weight around, you will fail. if you can humble yourself and go to the people below you for proper understanding of what they are doing and why they do it that way, you get to know more than you probably thought you knew and be able to lead effectively. so, one of the principles i keep telling my colleagues who occupy such high seats is to learn to be humble. emg: what inspires and motivates you each new day? fo: when i got here, the first question i asked myself was why i was back here. i thought quite deeply and there were three things that came to mind. “first, not to leave this authority after four years the same way that i came to find it. i should expand its vision to include something that they are not doing but would make sense. the second was to make sure that i grew the people that i came to meet here. i should leave and let them know that during my four-year term here their lives changed for the better. the third was also to look at the project af- fected persons (paps) at the dam site to see how best i can help them improve the quality of life that i have come to meet. so that when i leave, they will miss me and know that when the guy was here, these are the things he did for us. so, this became my motivation to be able to step out and implement any pro- grams or projects which would help me achieve these objectives. each day as i wake up, i ask myself, “are you doing this? what way have you changed the authority to increase the mandate that it originally had?” so, through all that last year we had the enabling act being amended to give us some expanded vision to be able to do all the things that we set ourselves to do. also, if you go to the site, you will see that there are a lot of economic activities going on right now. these have been july 2021 energyghana.com 25

in the ‘70s when we had some banking cri- sis in this country, a lot of the foreign com- panies just left. i don’t know what might happen in the future, but if something as basic as electricity which is central to de- velopment is not controlled as a country, it could be dangerous. even if they are pri- vately owned, they ought to be ghanaian- owned. so that we can be certain that the bulk of electricity generation in ghana which satisfies the base capacity needed to run the country is owned by ghanaians, ei- ther government or private. having said so, to come to your ques- tion, bpa is the right choice because we need to have an entity in a country such as ours, without economic arrangement as it is right now, which champions the devel- opment of the renewable industry. we’ve worked and demonstrated in the past four years that we’ve trained our staff and have the infrastructure to be able to lead the country in that direction. today, if you look at the national grid, you find out that generation is all down south. this is inappropriate because all our generation sources will be wiped out if there is a natural disaster. they should be dispersed across the country. we have gone ahead and secured six different sites apart from bui, around the five northern regions. those sites are pretty close to gridco’s terminal points for bulk offload- ing so that we can tie in at those points. so, if you go to sawla, tumu, bawku, zebilla, yendi and buipe, we have identified sites that will have over 100mw generation ca- pacity, which are less than five kilometers, in most cases, from the substations of gridco. with this kind of infrastructure we have developed, any serious investor who wants to operate independently without cooper- ating with any government institution will be compelled to come talk to us. we are in- terested in the energy that will be derived from the investment and not necessarily the ownership of the plant. emg: what are some strategic part- nerships the bpa has engaged in the past? fo: we have a lot of potential investors that we can cooperate with. however, the difficulty has been operating beyond the power purchase agreement (ppa) that we have with the electricity company of ghana (ecg). per our ppa, we supply them with 1030gw of energy each year. now, if you have made an investment and are going to generate more electricity than that, it means you don’t have any market for the rest. the good thing that happened was last november when the act was amended and we were given the freedom to look for off-takers to sell to. our development agenda beyond look- ing at what government wants to achieve july 2021 “ our energy consump- tion as a country is around 3000mw at peak, but if you look at the developed coun- tries, this might be just the requirement for one city. so, our installed capacity of 5000mw is nothing, and if we seek to develop this country and make it industri- alised as government has professed to do, then we need to be am- bitious with our energy management in ten years from now, that is, to be able to have the solar component in the energy mix going up to ten percent, we are also looking for off-takers to be able to generate and sell to them beyond ecg. we don’t have too many potential off-takers around, but certainly if the price is right, we would be able to develop this market. another restraining factor has been the grid itself. whether the grid operators are in a position to take as much as you can produce. we have built our own substation for solar evacuation, and we’re talking about 250mw at bui as one location. but we are still having some studies and con- versations with gridco to see how much can be taken. once they tighten up the grid and improve on it, i think all the six sta- tions i mentioned would be fully developed over the period of ten years. emg: what does the authority criti- cally need to smoothen out its oper- ations? fo: one that comes to mind immedi- ately is that beyond the enabling act, we should have a clear statement from the ministry to energise bpa to continue on this trajectory. we have sat down and looked at government’s programme to try to help government achieve the vision of increasing the solar component in the en- ergy mix. however, every now and then, you keep hearing news about a vra-bpa merger, and this is a bit discouraging. there is nothing wrong if government wants to merge the two, but there ought to be some clarity. i’ve been here for four years, and in some years there have been discussions on this matter and in other years nothing is said about it. so, it keeps you wondering if we are going to go this way or that way. i think there ought to be clarity that bpa, though government-funded, we want to keep it as it is and let it grow to become an alternative to vra, so that we have two major public entities in the generation sec- tor. for nothing at all, i think without question, the awards that we have received for the past four years has firmly placed us as the leaders in the renewable sector. we have huge experience also in hydro. over the past three years we’ve given im- mense help to nuclear power ghana ltd, which we continue to incubate here. we have given them free accommodation and support their staff and budget. we have helped them to complete phase one of their programme and are currently on phase two. i have shown a lot of personal commitment to their programme to bring it to where it is because we believe that all these facilities (sources of energy) in terms of land, water, etc. are finite. our energy consumption as a country is around 3000mw at peak, but if you look at the de- veloped countries, this might be just the requirement for one city. so, our installed capacity of 5000mw is nothing, and if we seek to develop this country and make it industrialised as government has pro- fessed to do, then we need to be ambitious with our energy management. these are some of the things that when you look at from within, it becomes a bit disturbing. i would like to see a bit more ambition being displayed in the generation of electricity in this country. emg: in becoming an authority, will that shift your focus or rather strengthen your direction? fo: i believe it strengthens us. let’s go back into history. once upon a time, it was just vra which was involved in genera- tion, transmission and distribution. first, they hived off the distribution to form ecg. i think just about the time bpa was being established, gridco was birthed too, so that vra could focus on generation. along the lines, they realised that you can’t play the game and be a referee at the same time, so energy commission was estab- lished to regulate the entire market. some ten years ago or so, when ghana was going through the energy crisis, the thinking was to establish an authority for renewable en- ergy which will pursue all renewables to be energyghana.com 27

presented to the authority? fo: i read somewhere that every prob- lem must be seen as an opportunity. in terms of that our basic mandate is what we refer to – energy generation. this cri- sis has helped us to be more efficient and to do things in a more controlled manner. through that process you manage costs. if you go to our site, though we have spent money in providing the drugs i men- tioned, we have also installed control sys- tems as to who goes in and comes out at what time. we have seen that even report- ing for work and getting the job done within a certain time frame is more effi- cient now than before. it has brought some kind of closeness to us. when we stopped people from going out of the site, or even family mem- bers visiting them, we needed to make some more investments in sporting activ- ities which would bring some cama- raderie spirit amongst them to work together as colleagues, friends and com- rades. we also did that to encourage that kind of group work environment which in the long run promotes productivity. in terms of energy generation as i said, co- incidentally, the highest production since we started operations from 2013 has been during the covid period. at a time that we should have been operating as a peaking plant, we actually offered to operate as part of the base load, so we were working every day. perhaps, if it weren’t for the covid, we would not have achieved the level of production that we got to. all in all, it’s taught us to do things dif- ferently in terms of even meetings. we now use the zoom and other platforms for most of our conference meetings and to run our business. we can’t be too grateful to covid, but it has taught us some lessons to do things differently to our benefit. emg: lastly, how do you foresee the fu- ture of bpa? fo: two things. if bpa is allowed to operate on its current trajectory of being leaders in renewable energy, without doubt, we should become if not bigger than, perhaps as big as vra is, ten years from now. on the other hand, if it is merged, then what it means is that all the dreams we have today would have been submerged in the ocean of vra. if bpa is allowed to continue on the vi- sion that we have set for ourselves, i’m absolutely certain in my mind that come ten years from today, we should be man- aging plants around the country, all to- gether not less than 2000mw. emg: thank you very much for your time. fo: thank you very much for honour- if bpa is allowed to continue on the vision that we have set for ourselves, i’m absolutely certain in my mind that come ten years from today, we should be managing plants around the country, all to- gether not less than 2000mw. w m 0 0 0 2 staff against any potential new outbreak of other unknown diseases which may happen. emg: what opportunities has this crisis ing me with this interview. • bui power authority plant sites sions. we were the first to lockdown be- fore even government’s lockdown came about two weeks after. we formed some committees to handle it, and we went beyond the covid to ask ourselves, “how about if there is a second or third wave, or there is another pan- demic and we have no clue as to how to handle it? we put our now director for health, safety and environment as the secretary, and i sat myself as the chair- man of that committee. what we are doing is to look at the radar to find out what is happening in the world with respect to this particular pan- demic and potentially any other disease that might be occurring. we take the view that based on this experience, science and doctors don’t seem to have ready answers for post-covid management because no- body has the experience. it is something that is happening for the first time, and so, there is a lot of reading going on to make sure that we are not only abreast of what might be happening elsewhere, but that we would be prepared to take care of our staff and also the operations of the authority. as a result, we have made substantial investments in some basic off-the-counter (otc) drugs that we distribute to our staff monthly. we have done this for a little over a year now. we started in march 2020, and we are doing this to make sure they boost their immune system so they don’t get sick before we spend on them. we are doing this first of all for the staff members to protect our operations, and also, our communities of operations. we also made it possible to have our people vaccinated against the virus, and we are currently making arrangements for the second dose to be delivered to them. so, these are some of the interventions we’ve implemented here to make sure that we contain the pandemic and protect july 2021 energyghana.com 29

market influence of any one source of power generation. limited hydro resources available ne- cessitates the adoption of nuclear. the country has a potential hydro exploitable resource of about 2,420mw with 1,580mw representing about 65.3 per cent already developed at akosombo, kpong and bui. the remaining 840mw can be obtained from over twenty sites mainly from medium and small hydro power plants with capacities below 95mw. with high crude oil costs on the interna- tional market, the option of using crude fuel to power our thermal plants has be- come very expensive and unattractive for the ghanaian economy. the use of natural gas to fuel our thermal plants, though cheaper, is unsustainable due to the pro- jected decline in the country’s gas reserves by 2030 and the unreliable supply of gas through the west african gas pipeline (wagp). power sources and their environmental impacts is a major concern in today’s world. sustainable development goal (sdg) 7, “affordable and clean energy”, seeks to ensure access to both affordable and clean energy for all. notably, nuclear energy is one of the lowest contributors to greenhouse gas and as such, is a viable op- tion when considering a power source that is environmentally conscious. in terms of reliability, nuclear power is a dependable source of electricity generation. unlike solar and wind sources which could be variable and intermittent, nuclear power plants can produce never-ending stable electricity. nuclear power plants are de- signed to operate continuously for an ex- tended period of time before refueling, typically eighteen to twenty-four months. uranium fuel supply and costs are also rel- atively stable. considering costs, nuclear power offers a cheaper electricity option. lower elec- tricity tariffs are critical for the economic development of any nation. the tariff regime of electricity from nuclear energy compares favourably with other sources. nuclear energy is, therefore, one of the best alternative sources of energy and its inclusion in ghana’s future energy mix would make the entire power system more resilient and sustainable. nuclear power ghana for the nuclear power programme, the project organisation-nuclear power ghana (npg), was set up to manage the country’s first nuclear power project. npg has been designated to be the eventual owner and operator of ghana’s first nu- clear power plant. activities of the organ- isation began in 2018 when some staff of volta river authority (vra), bui power authority (bpa), and the ghana atomic energy commission (gaec) were co- opted to form an initial core staff. in july 2019, npg was duly registered under the companies code of ghana as a limited li- july 2021 the use of natural gas to fuel our thermal plants, though cheaper, is unsustainable due to the projected decline in the country’s gas re- serves by 2030 and the unreliable supply of gas through the west african gas pipeline 0 3 0 2 ability company. as a national venture, npg works closely with a number of external organi- sations such as the environmental protec- tion agency, association of ghana industries, ghana grid company, ghana institution of engineering, energy com- mission and several other state agencies to achieve the objectives of the nuclear proj- ect. oversight responsibility for the man- agement of npg is exercised by an eight–member board comprising heads of key institutions involved with the nuclear power project. for nuclear power ghana, safety is its number one overriding priority in all of its activities. npg promises to ensure that management, employees, the public and the environment are protected from undue radiological hazards by achieving and maintaining appropriate operating condi- tions, preventing or mitigating mishaps and a continuous drive to improve nuclear safety. it is committed to developing a safety culture to promote individual and group values, promote behavioral patterns that underscore the importance of safety, develop trust in its communications and as well build confidence in the efficacy of preventive measures. journey so far the ghana nuclear power programme organisation and nuclear power ghana, are collaborating with the ghana journal- ists association to broaden the nuclear in- formation reach and ensure the needed knowledge distribution on the matter. through other avenues also, stakeholders are constantly assuring the public about the safety, security, and safeguard of ghana’s nuclear power plant. professor benjamin jabez nyarko, director-general of gaec, believes the cooperation should help elucidate nuclear power and its ben- efits. the country has completed all 19 infra- structural requirements for establishing a nuclear power plant (npp). after com- pleting the phase one, a programme com- prehensive report, has been submitted to cabinet to aid government make an in- formed decision on the npp. so far, four candidate sites have been identified for the construction of the nuclear power plant, and a vendor identified, but the decision remains for government to make. international atomic energy agency (iaea)’s advice to countries seeking to de- velop or expand their nuclear power pro- grammes is to ensure firm social license sustenance. the npg is, thus, keen on es- tablishing a steady relationship with its stakeholders through the media to reach all corners of the country for effective in- volvement and engagement. for this, the npg has planned an annual npg tertiary debate on nuclear energy and also ex- tended support for gna’s energy desk to promote excellent reporting on nuclear power. development of necessary local ex- pertise has been on-going for the past four years, within which period officials have been sorting out operating licensing and other regulations to guide operations. looking ahead ghana is setting a good example to other aspiring countries by following the internationally accepted comprehensive framework for developing infrastructure for nuclear power: the iaea milestones approach. we are already one of eight countries that operate a research reactor in africa. more importantly, the presence of uranium, used to fuel nuclear reactors, is an important dimension of ghana’s nu- clear programme. while we may not yet boast hundred per cent electricity access, we are not far from reaching this feat. with local thermal sources predicted to be depleted in a few decades and with continuing concerns of climate change, it is vital to expand our en- ergy sources. our commitment as a coun- try to follow through on the nuclear agenda is imperative if ghana is to become a highly industrialised economy. source: energy ghana energyghana.com 33

feature /acep@10 • energy consultancy service organi- sation of the year 2019 and 2020 the policy think tank acep’s focus areas now span con- tract governance, revenue gover- nance, institutional development and corporate transparency, di- versity, equity and inclusion in re- source governance, and lately climate change and energy transi- tion-promoting renewable and clean fuel sources. top 20 top 20 global energy & policy resource think tanks – acep has been recognised by its credibility and influence in the areas of research work, policy analysis, contract governance, inclusion, transparency and gen- eral advocacy, and overall output within the energy and extractive space in africa in particular, and the world in general. ensure resource revenues benefit those in- tended for. acep's efforts in mainstream- ing disability in the extractive sector have received wide commendations from the pwd community and industry players like the ghana oil and gas for inclusive growth (gogig) which has begun main- streaming pwds into their stakeholder en- gagements. acep was also instrumental in raising awareness on the badly negotiated and controversial ameri deal which led to the sacking of the then energy minster, and saved the country us$ 51.3 million. the centre also assessed performance of all petroleum agreements signed between 2007 and 2016 against agreed minimum contractual obligations, and identified gaps. for instance, contractual breaches including non-performance, low level of required capital investment on oil blocks and non-payments of surface rentals by companies. meanwhile, penalties for non- ergy developed the new petroleum explo- ration and production act which intro- duces open contracting principles such as beneficial ownership disclosure, competi- tive bidding and publication of contracts. it has also been monitoring the contracting process to ensure implementation of gov- ernance principles in the act. acep's con- tract monitor launched in 2020, an initiative to monitor the performance of petroleum contracts to ensure accountabil- ity, has been useful in exposing question- able contracts. the centre has, for the past five years, organised the africa oil governance sum- mit, which brings together civil society, government, academia, business and im- pacted communities, marginalized groups including women and persons with dis- abilities to discuss governance issues in the oil and gas sector. the think-tank analysed the expendi- ture priorities of the ghana national pe- troleum corporation (gnpc) in 2018, and as well proposed expenditure in 2019, through the lens of value-for-money and corporate accountability in line with the petroleum revenue management act (prma), 2011 (act 815) as amended. per their recommendations, parliament slashed the budget, saving the country usd$80m. evidence of positive outcomes from acep's work include government's re- sponse on ghs 400 million unspent abfa in 2018 and the publishing projects to re- ceive abfa funding in the budget. again, acep evaluated the impact of oil funded agriculture projects in the upper east region of ghana, and facilitated the public's access to insights on the utilization of petroleum revenues through an online platform (www.oilmoneytv.org) to en- hance citizens' activism and demand for accountability. acep's interventions on beneficial own- ership disclosures and advocacy on the need to integrate the concept into extrac- tive sector company registrations con- tributed to an eventual amendment of the company's code to contain provisions on beneficial ownership disclosure. an innovative approach to acep's work is the mainstreaming of disability inclu- sion in natural resource governance in ghana. acep has unpacked inclusion and equity concerns of resource governance to july 2021 performance were enforced to non-com- plying companies. the think-tank engaged stakeholders and called on regulators in ghana's petroleum sector to review non- performing petroleum agreements. comprehensive policy review of the mining sector, fiscal modelling, and advo- cacy for contract renegotiation did lead to government renegotiating some contracts, and a comprehensive review of mining laws in ghana-act 703 being amended, with recommendations for regional docu- ments such as the africa mining vision (amv) and the ecowas document on minerals and mining regulations. drawbacks early on in its work, the centre had to fight the general perception of being a gov- ernment stooge, or ‘political baby’, espe- cially since its founding figures were politically affiliated. yet, with well-defined values and consistency, that image has been overcome. yet, regardless of how far they’ve come, acep still has to contend some bottlenecks in its work; including a lack of willingness on the part of policy makers to engage with the think-tank, cir- cumstances of dwindling financing from donors, right to information issues and ac- cess to quality data. mark of distinction what sets acep apart from its peers and contemporaries has to do with the organi- sation’s strict focus on their core objec- tives. it also has everything to do with the quality of its people and the values they imbibe; their ability to form partnerships both in and outside ghana and africa, as well as a veritable regional network. donors who believe in acep’s work also lend to the think-tank’s credibility and dis- tinction. solidly behind acep is its board, the ford foundation, oxfam, osiwa, star-ghana, gogig programme under dfid and other donors, staff, and the media. recognition acep has been recognised by its credi- bility and influence in the areas of research work, policy analysis, contract governance, inclusion, transparency and general advo- cacy, and overall output within the energy and extractive space in africa in particular, and the world in general. recognitions in- clude: acep 14th among top 20 global energy & policy resource think tanks – global go-to think tank index (ggtti), 2019 report, produced by the think tanks and civil societies program (ttcsp) of the lauder institute at the university of penn- sylvania. the organisation also received recognition as the consultancy service company of the year 2019 and 2020 at the ghana energy awards; policy activist of the year 2019, ghana oil gas awards. source: energy ghana energyghana.com 35

events /ghana energy awards’20 in pictures july 2021 energyghana.com 41

events /ghana energy awards’20 in pictures july 2021 energyghana.com 43

personality profile mami dufie ofori (mrs) executive secretary, public utilities regulatory commission, purc if there’s a woman in ghana’s energy sphere today who presents a bold force to reckon with, that would be our female icon featured in this issue of the energy ghana magazine. mami dufie’s role as executive secretary of the purc is one that is pivotal to core sectors of our economy, prominently en- ergy and water. in her current capacity, she has caused operational ef- ficiency in her quarters and been responsible for record improvements and results-yielding projects at the purc. under her direction, there has been an expansion of pro-poor water projects. she facilitated the building of the new purc head office, and enhanced the com- mission’s operations by putting structures in place to boost compliance. one remarkable feat has been the set- ting up of a formal hearing department where a consti- tuted panel holds utilities accountable, hence pushing entities to adhere to set standards. digitization of purc’s operations has been acceler- ated with the introduction of database management systems to improve efficiency and digitize operations, made possible thanks to the foresight of mami dufie ofori. as executive secretary, she has assisted in en- hancing efficiency and effectiveness by establishing standard operating procedure to review performance appraisal systems, human resource and the general ad- ministrative system. when as director of regional operations, she actively involved in setting up the first regional office in ko- foridua, and subsequently in her present role, she set up the upper east region, cape coast and bono east re- gional offices in order to improve access to the commis- sion’s services. she also ensured consumer service committees are set up in certain remote areas to address issues concerning the commission. being a gender ac- tivist, she increased gender interest by starting a gender desk and assigning an officer to protect gender rights. aside her role at the commission, mami dufie is also the chairperson of the energy committee of the africa forum of regulators as well as the resource mobiliza- tion committee. previously, she worked as a senior eco- nomic planning officer (1996 – 2001) at the ministry of finance where she represented the ministry on the world bank sponsored advisory committee on the re- structuring of water sector (wsrc). she was also the chairman of the labour rationalization committee of the advisory committee on restructuring of water sec- tor. mrs. ofori was the director for consumer services (2001-2012) and the director, special duties (2012- 2017) at the public utilities regulatory commission where she was responsible for coordinating and moni- toring the commission's strategic plan, developing and monitoring of regulatory standards, establishing and managing the commission's regional offices, among oth- ers. she was also the director of the local content unit of the ministry of power and was one of the key devel- opers of the local content regulation for the electricity supply industry. she holds an mba in project management from the university of ghana and a b.sc. (hons) development planning from the kwame nkrumah university of sci- ence and technology. she has undertaken professional training in corporate strategy, financial policy, strate- gic planning and utility regulation and strategy from prominent institutions including harvard university (usa), german foundation for international develop- ment (germany) and consulting africa limited. mami dufie ofori (mrs) is a devoted mother of two who enjoys travelling, reading, philanthropy and music. july 2021 energyghana.com 47

mining news registrants who trained at the university of mines and technology (umat), tarkwa had received their licenses to begin min- ing. expected outcomes stimulating wealth creation, promot- ing community involvement and linkages with other sectors of the economy form the core expectations of the programme. specifically, it seeks to, among others; have licensed community miners engage in law- ful regulated mining activities in their vicinities in order to benefit from their god-given resources; ensure sustainable livelihoods; prevent wanton destruction of the environment; curb illegal small-scale mining in the country; and create 16,000 direct jobs nationwide. at least one com- munity mine is expected to be set up in each of the mining districts in the country. setbacks cms is meant to be implemented in consultation and collaboration with rele- vant stakeholders at the community level, yet, some traditional authorities, such as the okyenhene osageyfo amoatia ofori panin, overlord of akyem abuakwa, have recently denounced the scheme, saying they ought to be consulted before licenses are awarded such that their environments are protected. sadly, enforcement of the ban on all small-scale mining in 2017/18 was not strong enough, despite the deployment of security forces under operation vanguard. the inter-ministerial committee on illegal mining (imcim) established by govern- ment to clamp down on illegal small min- ing was by president akufo-addo. this came on the back of some seized excavators going missing amidst bribery allegations. dissolved commission, lack of adequate funding and resourc- ing of oversight agencies such as the min- erals environmental protection agency and precious minerals marketing company (pmmc) - the body responsible for assaying and monitoring gold exports, further weakened govern- ment’s efforts. galamsey: more than mining gold is currently the most mined nat- ural resource in ghana and is said to rep- resent up to 49 per cent of the country’s exports, fetching more than us$8 billion of the country’s estimated us$59 billion worth gdp. with the value of gold now quadruple of what it used to be about two decades ago, it has become a profitable source of revenue for multinational firms and small-scale miners –legal and other- wise. available data indicates that the arti- sanal small-scale mining sub-sector con- tributed about 36 per cent of the total gold produced in ghana in 2019. however, most of these small-scale miners remain informal and illegal, usually called “galam- seyers”, with only less than 30 per cent for- mally registered. reports indicate that by 2017, around 200,000 ghanaians (esti- july 2021 us$2.2 billion galamsey is reported to have cost the country about us$2.2 billion in 2016 in un- collected taxes alone, and an estimated us$250 mil- lion to recover lands and water bodies destroyed in the western region. 49% gold is currently the most mined natural resource in ghana and is said to represent up to 49 per cent of the country’s exports, fetching more than us$8 billion of the country’s estimated us$59 billion worth gdp. mated to be indirectly responsible for the upkeep of about three million people) sub- sisted on earnings from artisanal small- scale mining, which makes the practice an important source for families’ income, es- pecially for ‘broke’ communities. persisting challenges substantial taxes of corporations’ rev- enue are huge derivatives to the state from mining in ghana as in other parts of the globe, but they do not in the least compare to nor supersede the activity’s ensuing gruesome degradation of the environment, health, security and economy, witnessed in the loss of farmlands, deforestation, water pollution, crime rates, and poverty. galam- sey is reported to have cost the country about us$2.2 billion in 2016 in uncol- lected taxes alone, and an estimated us$250 million to recover lands and water bodies destroyed in the western region. these costs, however, are exclusive of the attendant qualitative consequences. meanwhile, the ghana water com- pany reported of a 50% loss of available water for treatment between 2008 and 2018, consequently cautioning against the persistence of illegal mining which could result in the importation of water into the country in the next decade. characteristically, most galamseyers degrade lands without a note to reclama- tion, using dangerous chemicals such as cyanide and mercury without authorisa- tion. others use bulldozers and excavators to destroy communities. through such means, water bodies such as rivers bia, tano and pra became highly polluted. most difficult aspect of the situation seems to be with local farmers and landowners who continually hide and engage in illegal mining. what has been done so far? responses to the call to address this cankerous activity has been diverse: one of such responses was securing over us$19 million world bank funding in may 2019 to facilitate ghana’s forest investment programme-intended to regulate the un- desired effects of small-scale mining, and protect rainforests which are being lost partly to the activity; banning galamsey and asm activities in 2017; setting up of an inter-ministerial committee to develop appropriate regulations, a move which has had its own hindrances to success. ‘operation vanguard’ was subse- quently launched-a specialised batch of 400 security operatives from the ghana armed forces and the police service de- ployed to the three worst affected regions (ashanti, eastern and western regions) to stay and ensure all forms of illegal mining was stopped, unauthorised mining pits permanently destroyed, and degraded lands and rivers restored, as well as a re- forestation programme undertaken. fol- lowing this is the deployment of another troop of personnel from the ghana navy and marine police to monitor major rivers and water bodies until illegal activities have been completely done away with. operation halt ii - the deployment of security operatives to stop illegal mining operations along the country’s water bod- ies. although proving effective, concerns about the approach, mainly burning of equipment, has raised questions. moreover, some stakeholders in the sector are being re-organised to embrace alternative livelihoods: 331 trainees, out of the first batch of 500 graduated from 11 community development vocational and technical institutes (cdvtis) as part of the institutional level training programme. a total of 367 beneficiaries have as well been enrolled at the community level training. ensuring successful cmp imple- mentation to ensure its success thus, govern- ment must be committed to working with all stakeholders in the mining industry, traditional leaders inclusive, these should ensure that the initiative introduced by government succeeds in creating jobs and improving the standard of living of the lo- cals, eschewing partisan politics in the dis- tribution of concessions. this will secure recognition and inclusion for key local stakeholders in the licensing process. it will also open dialogue with local miners, bringing the decision making processes closer to them and promoting effective policing and monitoring of the sector. significantly, there is a huge opportu- nity to examine and identify ways in which registered small-scale mines can be scaled up to become medium or even large-scale indigenous companies. this would involve increasing efficiency and finding ways to reduce production losses, and in the long run guarantee an indigenous ownership of the mining sector. source: energy ghana energyghana.com 49

germany provides €20m grant for ghana renewable energy subsidies renewables germany has consolidated its ef- forts to assist ghana in develop- ing clean energy solutions by providing a grant of 20 million to euros. the strengthen technical cooperation between the two countries in the fields of agribusi- ness, renewable energy and energy effi- ciency. is expected funding the grant agreement was signed by christoph retzlaff, the german ambassa- dor to ghana, and patrick nomo, the di- rector general of the ghanaian ministry of finance. the funding will be provided by the deutsche gesellschaft für interna- tionale zusammenarbeit (giz), the ger- man development cooperation agency. international ghana has been a partner country for german development cooperation for more than thirty years. remarkably, the deutsche giz opened its office in the cap- ital, accra, in 1983. the german ambassador noted that the grant would help to create jobs and protect the environment. “our aim is to create jobs and protect the environment. this grant is part of our development cooperation, which amounts to 130 million euros per year,” says christoph retzlaff, german ambassador to ghana. technical support will be provided for the development of clean energy and energy efficiency projects for industry, public buildings and house- holds. this is not the first time the western eu- ropean country has extended developmen- tal assistance targeted at renewable energy in ghana. back in 2017, berlin committed with ghana’s renewable energy master plan aiming to increase the proportion of renewable energy in the national energy generation mix to 1363.63 mw (with grid connected systems to- taling 1094.63 mw) by 2030, energy partnerships like this represent a key policy instrument for pro- moting cooperation be- tween germany and ghana. . 3 6 3 6 3 1 w m • renewable energy is becoming a key part of ghana’s energy sector €100 million to promote private invest- ment in the renewable energy sector. this created an enabling business climate for renewable energy providers, and has ad- vanced the introduction of european com- panies into the energy space. one of such companies is german com- pany redavia, which supplies solar energy to ghanaian companies. the munich- based company has, for example, installed a solar photovoltaic system capable of sup- plying 33 872 kwh of electricity annually to the kete krachi timber recovery (kktr) sawmill, a company that exploits timber from the akosombo dam basin on the volta river in south-eastern ghana. admirably, germany is a leading donor in africa’s energy sector. germany’s devel- opment priorities in the sector are energy access, promotion of renewable energy and energy efficiency. german technical assis- tance in africa’s energy sector represented a funding volume of approximately €250 million as at 2016. with ghana’s renew- able energy master plan aiming to in- crease the proportion of renewable energy in the national energy generation mix to 1363.63 mw (with grid connected systems totaling 1094.63 mw) by 2030, energy partnerships like this represent a key pol- icy instrument for promoting cooperation between germany and ghana. the grant is expected to create jobs, fa- cilitate technical training and promote clean energy, while aiding the country’s ef- forts in fighting climate change. source: energy ghana july 2021 energyghana.com 51

special rep rt climate change & repercussions on energy • africa is the most-exposed region to the ad- verse effects of climate change despite contribut- ing the least to global warming to put it simply, climate change is any alteration in the global cli- mate. nasa describes it as a broad range of global phenomena created predominantly by burning fossil fuels, which add heat-trapping gases, in- cluding carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, to earth’s atmosphere. climate change in- cludes global warming and is driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse from mainly energy use –about two-thirds of all emissions– for electricity genera- tion, heating, industry and transport. combustion of fossil fuels also releases air pollutants that harm the environment and human health. the european environment agency, eea, notes that in europe, energy processes are the largest emitter of green- house gases, being responsible for 78 per cent of total eu emissions in 2015. though use and production of energy have massive impact on the climate, the latter could also potentially alter energy generation and energy needs. for in- stance, changes to the water cycle have an impact on hydropower. such effects have been the price popu- lations have had to pay for the high-level industrialisation and globalisation the world enjoys today. climate change threatens people with food insecurity, water scarcity, flooding, infectious dis- eases, extreme heat, economic losses and displacement. climate experts say the world needs to do all it can to avert global warming reaching 2c; theguardian.com “ research from the new climate economy shows that bold climate action could deliver at least us$26 trillion in global economic benefits be- tween now and 2030. it could also generate over 65 million new low-car- bon jobs by 2030. points out what could happen in just a 2c hotter world. it says according to an analysis of 70 peer-reviewed studies by carbon brief: seas could rise an average of 56cm, or nearly 2ft; 30m people in coastal areas could be flooded each year by 2055; 37 per cent of the population could face a severe heatwave at least every five years; 388m people could be exposed to water scarcity and 195m will be exposed to severe drought; maize crop yields could fall 9 per cent by 2100; the global per-capita gdp could fall 13 per cent by 2100. yet, it’s only a few years now that global influencers have had success trying to rally the world into acknowledging how hot everyone’s business is making the world. after several years, global efforts to mitigate climate change have culminated in the paris agreement of 2015. through the agreement, 195 countries adopted the first-ever universal and legally binding, global climate deal. the target of the agreement — limiting the global average temperature rise to well below 2 °c, while aiming to limit the increase to 1.5 °c — is ambitious and cannot be achieved without a major overhaul of global energy produc- tion and consumption. this is why most of the world’s major oil corporations, such as shell, have commit- ted to transition to low-carbon technolo- gies, and effectively made about 70 clean-energy deals, as of september 2019, dealing in high-quality solar solutions as part of their business portfolios. climate change in africa africa is the most-exposed region to the adverse effects of climate change despite contributing the least to global warming. while accounting for quite negligible car- bon emissions, and about two percent of world coal demand, it is already dispro- portionately feeling the impacts of the changing global climate in terms of higher temperatures, drought, changing rainfall patterns and increased climate variability. devastating cyclones affected three mil- lion people in mozambique, malawi, and zimbabwe in 2018. gdp exposure in african nations vulnerable to extreme cli- mate patterns is projected to grow from july 2021 energyghana.com 53

techn logy news solar taxis: driving clean and safe as the automotive industry at disorderly-operated buses that clog the roads, causing air and noise pollution, solar taxis offer an improved means of tourist transport at much more affordable rates. cheaper rates mean reduced tourist costs, which translates into higher tourist numbers and, consequently, higher rev- enue from tourism. present is being reshaped by con- cerns over oil supplies, interna- tional environmental policies and fuel costs, there’s been a wide variety of hybrid technologies availed to facilitate transition to more green and tolerable fuel sources. with the introduction of solar taxis, commercial transportation could be a starting point for major transformational push. solar taxis are eco-friendly vehicles powered by clean energy for urban use. solar panels are generally used to charge these electric commercial vehicles. photo- voltaic (pv) cells with semi-conductors found on the solar panels convert the sun’s energy directly into electrical energy for the electric motor’s use. such cars can also be charged with electricity from the na- tional grid, ensuring they aren’t overly re- liant on solar power. evidently, solar taxis are accelerating the use and growth of re- newable energy in conventional ways. savings relative to regular fossil fuel-powered combustion vehicles, solar taxis offer a clean energy solution for environmentally- conscious cities. energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy on offer makes it the future of transportation. esti- mates suggest the solar vehicle market could reach us$689 billion by 2027. in- vestors are subsequently trying to figure out how to improve the performance and power of these commercial vehicles to se- cure investments in the automobile indus- try. solar taxis provide a cheaper means of transport as solar energy is free. users are, thus, free from con- stantly rising fuel costs that are consequent of uncertain world oil prices. solar taxis come with no additional costs except for bat- tery replacements. savings are equally passed on to the envi- ronment as pollution is cut off. unlike fossil fuel-powered ve- hicles which produce signifi- cant amounts of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and other pollutants, solar taxis make a solid case against “ efficiency as at 2019, there were seven different solar taxi vehicle models, all serving their own purposes related to either delivery or transportation of passengers. models in- clude the 5-seater, three electric bikes, double power tricycle, and dream cargo. vehicles are designed to function in local environments, both urban and rural. battery capacity of the vehicles range from 48v/100ah – 72v/20ah, which can travel for 50-140 km before the next charge. capacity depends on the vehicle in use; all of the vehicle’s battery capacities are sufficient for all intended purposes. the vehicles’ speeds range from 35 km/h to 55 km/h, making them perfect for urban travels that have speed limits of 50 km/h. as road conditions are often poor in rural after a full charge, automobiles can travel for 50-140 km before needing the next charge noise and air pollution. with advancements in solar technology, prices of solar panels are gradually falling. panels have become more readily available and cheaper. having an average lifespan of twenty to thirty years, these panels are long-lasting compared to ordinary vehicles that rely on fuel. after a full charge, auto- mobiles can travel for 50-140 km before needing the next charge. solar taxis also tend to promote sustainable tourism. in cities where tourists’ only options are s m o k e - belching a n d loud, • one of several solar taxi vehicle models july 2021 energyghana.com 55

techn logy news has presented an opportunity for ghana to contribute to the achievement of the 13th goal of the sustainable development goals (sdg’s). solar taxi ghana project was launched in kumasi by the kumasi hive, in partner- ship with the mastercard foundation. the project aims to alleviate poverty and create employment opportunities for young people while protecting the envi- ronment by leveraging on energy har- nessed to drive solar-powered vehicles. from the sun the pilot phase of the project was spear- headed by kumasi hive several months ago (september 2018 – july, 2019). with support from the mastercard foundation, solar taxi ghana has taken decisive steps in creating an economic and environmen- tal impact on ghanaian communities by using cleaner alternative sources of energy “ having 1,800 – 3,000 hours of sunshine an- nually, ghana receives a lot of sunshine, mak- ing it a viable hub for the project. for transportation. solar taxi ghana has introduced a fleet of electric vehicles into the ghanaian transport industry to help fight climate change issues. these vehicles can be charged using the conventional electricity from the national grid, but because of the unreliable nature of our electricity, a solar hub has been designed locally to replace the power provided by the national grid. these solarhubs can be located in 4 major cities across ghana. a study conducted by the german aero- space center indicates that a solar gener- ating facility covering just 0.3% of the area comprising north africa could supply all of the energy required by the european union. having 1,800 – 3,000 hours of sunshine annually, ghana receives a lot of sunshine, making it a viable hub for the project. electric vehicles produce no fumes and make no noise, solving air and noise pol- lution. the fleet of electric vehicles include a mini car, electric passenger tricycles, cargo tricycles and motor tricycles. much recently, suvs have been added to this growing catalogue. parts of these vehicles are imported and assembled locally by kumasi hive, usually taking a few weeks. once assembled, the cars, motorcycles, and tricycles are used as taxis or made available for purchase to the general public. patrons of the taxi service can order rides with the solar taxi app, which has been developed to make the service convenient. the app allows users to choose which type of vehicle they find convenient. customers also get to purchase a solar hub to serve as personal fuel stations in their homes, providing complete independence from the national grid. economically, solar taxi ghana aims to explore avenues that equip women with • solar panel charging station “ the project aims to alleviate poverty and create employ- ment opportunities for young people while protect- ing the environment by leveraging on energy har- nessed from the sun to drive solar-powered vehicles. skills in emerging technologies that stim- ulate their interest in renewable energy. as a result, solartaxi ghana has initiated the female driver training academy which seeks to extensively train women on how to operate electric vehicles while providing them with insights on road safety regula- tion, maintenance of electric vehicles and the need for having a clean and reliable form of transportation. this platform offers young women unique training experiences and a bud- ding network of like-minded individuals pursuing social change through innova- tion. it will build the self-confidence and road knowledge of these women, ulti- mately helping them acquire their driving license. solartaxi also has an all-female engineering hub that assembles its solar- bikes and cars. the main challenge to the success of the solar taxi project has been the high im- port duty placed on the vehicle parts which has consequently raised the selling prices of the vehicles, thus inhibiting pa- tronage. by the end of 2019, the installed electricity generation capacity available for grid power supply in the country was about 4,990 megawatts (mw). the peak load, however, was around 2,612 mw. the total dependable grid capacity was 4,580 mw in 2019 and was therefore in excess of the peak load by 1,968 mw. notably, ghana’s electricity generation mix in- cludes hydro, thermal and a bit of solar. with all that excess electricity, ghana should be embracing these vehicles with much more enthusiasm. hopefully, with the right government interventions, ghana can become the leader of solar- powered vehicles on the continent. source: energy ghana july 2021 energyghana.com 57

top5/renewable energy developments, ghana 2020 03. the 225 mw wind farm at ayitepa 04. ghana energy and development access project (gedap) the project site is located in a very sparsely populated area in the ningo-prampram district, around 50 - 60 km east of accra, between the accra-aflao-road in the north and the gulf of guinea in the south. the ayitepa wind farm will be constructed over an area of approx- imately 10,000 acres. due to its openness and relative flatness, this location offers good and steady wind con- ditions, simple road access, very little environmental constraints and an easy grid access nearby. the ayitepa wind farm will, once completely com- missioned, have a capacity of 225 mw and will supply around 450,000 mwh of clean, affordable and reliable electricity per year, which is produced locally, without need of fuel or gas. the 225 mw wind farm at ayitepa, which was devel- oped by the swiss company nek umwelttechnik ag for lekela power, is said to have procured all required permits and authorisations in order to be implemented and constructed. in spite of all these attempts to ex- plore untapped potential in renewable energies, the government of ghana has not exuded the needed sup- port for the project. project started in 2012, but is yet to be completed as at 2020. is the from among to with a strong push for solar energy the world bank and the international finance corporation, life for thousands of ghanaians is beginning to change. the $220 million ghana energy and development access project (gedap) bank- financed programs focus on inclusive access to re- newable energy through off-grid solar services and products. gedap is also emblematic of a larger push for inclusiv- ity—the project included five pilot mini-grids that converted solar energy to electricity for isolated communities in islands in the volta lake and the volta river. these five pilot mini grids provide 24/7 electricity to about 10,000 beneficiaries for the first time, allowing these fishing communities to use electricity to improve their livelihoods. first including poor households were able to afford mini grids because the project included subsidies to help make energy more af- fordable and supported access to financing with local fin- anciers, international development association (ida) is providing technical assis- tance to help make more mini grids financially sustain- able for homes and communities with the support in regulation from the ministry of energy, energy commission and the public utility regulatory commission. rural banks. the 05. puma energy from with a strong push for solar energy the world bank and the international finance corporation, life for thousands of ghanaians is beginning to change. the $220 million ghana energy and development access among project (gedap) first bank- financed programs focus on inclusive access to re- newable energy through off-grid solar services and products. is to the gedap is also emblematic of a larger push for inclu- sivity—the project included five pilot mini-grids that con- verted solar energy to electricity for isolated communities in islands in the volta lake and the volta river. these five pilot mini grids provide 24/7 electricity to about 10,000 beneficiaries for the first time, allowing these fishing com- munities to use electricity to improve their livelihoods. poor households were able to afford mini grids because the project included subsidies to help make energy more affordable and supported access to financing with local financiers, including rural banks. the international de- velopment association (ida) is providing technical assis- tance to help make more mini grids financially sustainable for homes and communities with the support in regulation from the ministry of energy, energy com- mission and the public utility regulatory commission. july 2021 energyghana.com 61