Renewable Energy :Ghana’s first bilateral solar PPA

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Renewable Energy :Ghana’s first bilateral solar PPA

Ghana’s Plastic manufacturer Miniplast will buy electricity from a 704 kW grid-connected solar array owned and operated by Norwegian  renewable energy developer Empower New Energy AS.

Norway-based Empower New Energy has secured one of Africa’s first power purchase agreements (PPAs) for the supply of solar electricity.

Empower, which has a focus on  renewable energy project deployment in sub-Saharan Africa, said Ghanaian plastic manufacturer Miniplast Limited has agreed to buy electricity from a 704 kW rooftop solar array to be installed on its manufacturing and recycling facility in Accra, in the Ghanaian capital.

The plant will be installed and operated by Stella Futura Ltd under a power sales agreement signed between the three partners,” Empower New Energy said. “The investment will be made through a local project company majority owned by Empower Invest, the impact investment fund managed by Empower New Energy.” Stella Futura will act as EPC contractor for the project.

Terms

The financial terms of the PPA were not revealed.

The rooftop installation is slated to become operational in July.

bilateral solar PPA in Africa was signed in January 2019 between Egyptian solar company SolarizEgypt and the Arabian Cement Company.

Renewable Energy :Ghana’s first bilateral solar PPA to be set up on factory rooftops of Miniplast in Spintex Industrial Area of Accra city, the 704 kW system is planned to be grid connected by July 2020. It will help the manufacturer reduce its consumption of diesel to power its factories while bringing down its electricity costs.

“We’re excited to install one of the largest industrial and commercial solar PV systems in Ghana,” said Nadim Ghanem-Pares, Deputy Managing Director of Miniplast Limited. “Furthermore, this will be a flagship project to promote the use of renewable energy within the Spintex Industrial enclave of Accra.” Empower Invest’s Empower New Energy (EmNEW) is funded by Norway’s development fund for emerging markets Norfund, and European Union’s first electrification financing initiative, Electrify, among others.

Ghana is increasing efforts to raise the share of renewables in its electricity mixUnder its energy strategy, the nation wants 2.5 GW of renewable energy generation capacity – probably including hydroelectric – by 2030. Ghana had just 64 MW of solar capacity at the end of 2018, according to International Renewable Energy Agency statistics.

Credit

This article was originally written by Emiliano Bellini.He joined pv magazine in March 2017. He has been reporting on solar and renewable energy since 2009.

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