Gov’t Moves to Buy New Power Plant, Launches 200MW Solar Project to End Dumsor Fears
Government says the planned acquisition of a new power generation plant and the rollout of a 200-megawatt solar project will help improve electricity supply
- Government plans to acquire a new power generation plant to boost electricity supply and reduce frequent power outages across the country
- A 200-megawatt solar power project has been advertised and is currently undergoing a competitive bidding process
- Future power purchase agreements will go through a transparent competitive procurement process
The Deputy Minister for Energy and Green Transition, who is also the Member of Parliament for Gomoa West, Richard Gyan-Mensah, has disclosed that government is making plans to acquire a power generation plant to strengthen electricity supply across the country.
Speaking in an interview, Mr Gyan-Mensah said the Ministry of Energy is committed to addressing the current power challenges and ensuring stable electricity supply nationwide.
According to him, the planned expansion in power generation will improve electricity supply not only in Accra but also in Kumasi, the Volta Region and other parts of the country facing transmission challenges.
“We are looking at expanding generation capacity, and places like Kumasi and the Volta Region are areas of concern when it comes to transmission challenges,” he stated.
The Deputy Minister further revealed that government has already advertised a 200-megawatt solar power project, which is currently undergoing a competitive bidding process.
“We have done the advertisement for 200 megawatts of solar power and people are bidding. These negotiations are important,” he explained.
Mr Gyan-Mensah noted that government is introducing a more transparent and competitive procurement system for future power agreements.
He explained that unlike in the past, where the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) could directly negotiate with Independent Power Producers, all future agreements will now go through strict competitive procurement procedures.
“In the past, ECG alone could go and negotiate with Independent Power Producers, but this time around we have to go through a competitive procurement process and the necessary procedures before agreements are concluded,” he said.
He stressed that the new power generation projects form part of government’s broader strategy to strengthen Ghana’s energy sector and improve supply reliability.
The Deputy Minister assured Ghanaians that additional generation capacity would be added to the national grid by next year to help reduce the frequent power outages being experienced in Accra, Kumasi and several other parts of the country.
Responding to concerns about whether government plans to sign new power supply agreements, he said rising electricity demand makes it necessary to increase generation capacity.
He also clarified that future power purchase agreements would not be handled solely by institutions such as the Volta River Authority (VRA) or ECG.
“We want to ensure that any additional power we bring onboard will be cheaper than what we had in the past, and the negotiations we are doing now are aimed at getting more competitive, cheaper prices,” he added.
