COUNTRY FOCUS: GHANA
Globally, renewable energy is going
through exciting times with increasing
investment in many countries. In view
of the global trends, the Government
of Ghana has identified renewable
energy as one of the options that could
contribute to the overall energy supply
mix and minimise the adverse effects of
energy production on the environment.
Intelligent CIO looks at Ghana’s
Renewable Energy Master Plan and what
the country is hoping to achieve by 2030.
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Renewable energy to
provide a bright future
in Ghana
G
hana’s Renewable Energy Master
Plan has been officially presented to
the Ministry of Energy by the Energy
Commission. The Master Plan constitutes
an investment-focused framework for
the development and promotion of the
country’s rich renewable energy resources to
propel economic growth, improve social life
and reduce climate change effects.
The plan, when implemented, is expected
to help the country achieve the following
targets by 2030:
• Increase the penetration of renewable
energy in the national energy generation
mix from the 2015 baseline of 42.5 MW
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to 1363.63 MW (with grid connected
systems totalling 1094.63 MW)
• Reduce the dependence on biomass as
main fuel for thermal energy applications
• Provide renewable energy-based
decentralised electrification options in
1,000 off-grid communities
• Promote local content and local
participation in the renewable
energy industry energy sector, the Master Plan offers the
country the opportunity to put in place
the necessary implementation framework
towards the promotion of the renewable
energy sector.
Gita Welch, the acting Resident
Representative of the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), said that,
although Ghana has made significant efforts
to put in place the enabling environment
to scale up investments in the renewable “The Renewable Energy Master Plan is a blue
print and its implementation is critical for the
achievement of the SDG 7 in Ghana.”
“The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
particularly SDG 7, aims to ensure access to
affordable, reliable, and modern energy for
all by 2030,” she said.
Eric Antwi-Agyei, Project Coordinator for
the UNDP/Energy Commission Renewable
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