Ghana commissions 5 MW pilot floating solar project
Ghana, Accra: The Bui Power Authority (BPA) has announced completion of a 5 MW floating solar power plant in Ghana.
Image for illustration purposes
Ghana, Accra: The Bui Power Authority (BPA) has announced completion of a 5 MW floating solar power plant in Ghana.
Inaugurated recently by the country’s President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, it is the country’s first hydro-solar hybrid power generating system, as well as the first floating PV system in the West African subregion, the BPA claims.
This 5 MW forms the pilot project of phase I of the larger 250 MW capacity Ghana plans to install in phases of 50 MW. Phase II is already under construction and the work is in progress.
According to the BPA, upon completion, the 250 MW will augment the 404 MW Bui Hydropower Dam Generating Station’s power generation ability, which would come in handy during drought periods when the dam is not able to generate as much power. In September 2020, a source reported a BPA announcement for the 250 MW project to be located in Banda district of Bono region. It planned to operate for the next 25 years. The BPA expects the entire 250 MW capacity to cost an investment of around $480 M (GHS 3 B).
BPA was formed specifically to operate the Bui Hydropower Dam that has been operational since 2013. It was built by Sinohydro Corporation Limited of China.
Ghana aims to have renewable energy sources account for 10 % of its energy mix by 2030. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, Ghana’s cumulative installed renewable energy capacity at the end of 2019 was 1.656 GW with solar PV expected to account for 63 MW.
Source: Taiyang News