Senior Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo on behalf of President Akufo-Addo on Friday commissioned a 26-megawatt solar power plant being part of a total of 250 megawatts solar panel being constructed by the Bui Power Authority (BPA) to augment power generation in the country.
This means the Bui Hydroelectric Power Station can now alternate solar and hydro power generation between day and night for distribution.
It was all joy among workers of the authority and the people from the Banda Traditional Area when the Senior Minister commissioned the first phase of the solar project which was expected to be completed next year with the capacity to produce 250 megawatts of solar energy.
Addressing a durbar of chiefs, the Senior Minister said in addition to the one the President recently commissioned at Lawra in the Upper West Region, the government was resolved to diversify the country’s energy generation portfolio and increase the renewable energy component of the energy mix in the country.
“This fulfils the government promise to deliver on its promise of adding 10% of renewable energy by 2030,” he quoted the President as saying.
He congratulated the BPA for the feat and encouraged them to do more especially when there was abundance sunshine in the country coupled with the amendment to the Bui Authority Act, Act 740, 2007 that allowed the authority to go into more renewable energy responsibilities.
“Renewable energy is clean and environmentally friendly. It will contribute to the country’s effort to the fight against climate change. The project has employed 350 youth from the Banda communities. More so, the livelihood enhancement programme business modules developed by the authority is going to benefit close to 1000 young people,” the President said through the Senior Minister.
The Senior Minister urged the authority to quickly liaise with the Lands Commission to facilitate compensation to those whose land had been taken over for the project and urged the people to retain President Akufo-Addo and the NPP administration for more development.
The Deputy Minister of Energy, William Owureko Aidoo, said reforms introduced by the government since 2017 was yieldiing positive results and had saved the country from total collapse of the power sector.
The Board Chairman of the BPA, Ambassador Afare Apeadu Donkor, congratulated the BPA for using local content (expertise) to add more generation to the national grid.
FROM Daniel Y Dayee, Bui