Andrew Agyapa Mercer
THE MINISTRY of Energy says it is developing a National Energy Transition Plan to guide the country as it transitions to cleaner energy.
This will ensure that Ghana thrives irrespective of the energy transition’s short and long-term impacts.
Energy Transition is a global phenomenon characterised by the shift of countries from the use and patronage of high carbon emitting energy sources to cleaner energy sources ultimately, to attain the net-zero target.
A deputy Minister for Energy, Andrew Agyapa Mercer, disclosed this during a regional forum on the National Energy Transition Plan held in Takoradi on Monday.
The forum sought to solicit stakeholders’ input towards the implementation of a harmonious national energy policy that is in tune with a Paris accord, which aims at achieving a net-zero carbon emission.
According to Mr Mercer, in the interim, the ministry has resolved that fossil fuels particularly, natural gas, will continue to be part of Ghana’s energy mix.
Some of the participants
He, however, indicated that strategies would be put in place to increase the share of renewable energy in the mix in the medium to long term.
He said currently, about 70 percent of Ghana’s installed power generation capacity of 5,231 megawatts is from thermal plants that use natural gas as their primary fuel.
He noted that the ministry would enforce the zero flaring policy and employ ‘Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage’ technology to ensure that petroleum activities do not adversely impact the environment.
He added that afforestation programmes and carbon credits would also be introduced as measures to avoid further pollution of the environment by oil and gas activities.
“We also have to step up climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts because there is a growing impact of climate change at the global and continental levels,” he stressed.
The Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, noted that transitioning to cleaner energy over the next few years would require substantial resources.
“We could therefore leverage on revenues from our indigenous oil and gas resources to develop the cleaner energy the world advocates,” he added.
FROM Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi