………to Phase Out Fossil Fuel
……….to revitalize Tema Oil Refinery
Ghana has announced a new master plan which focuses on phasing out fossil fuels and transition to renewable energy, among others.
The country’s deputy minister of energy, Mr. Andrews Agyapa Mercer, who dropped the hint, said Ghana’s government recognizes the fact that the transition to cleaner energy in the next few years will require substantial resources.
Speaking at the Eastern Regional Forum for National Energy Transition Plan organized by the ministry of energy at Koforidua, Mercer said the government would leverage revenues from indigenous oil and gas resources to help finance the transition.
The minister said the government will continue to explore and develop oil and gas in a more environmentally friendly manner, enforce the zero flaring policy and carbon capture utilization and storage technology to ensure that petroleum activities do not adversely impact the environment.
According to him, whereas the country is developing national energy transition plans, the energy ministry has resolved that fossil fuels particularly natural gas will continue to be part of Ghana’s energy mix.
He emphasized that strategies will be put in place to increase the share of renewable energy in medium to long term.
“Currently, about 70% of Ghana’s generation installed capacity of 5,321MW is from a thermal plant that uses natural gas as its primary fuel. This proportion is projected to increase to meet the growing energy demand commensurate with energy demands and national economic growth,” he said.
Mercer stated that forestation programmes and carbon credits will also be introduced as measures to avoid further pollution to the environment by oil and gas production activities.
He equally noted that the Ghanaian government is working towards revitalizing Tema Oil Refinery to meet domestic demands and reduce dependency on imported petroleum products, thereby guaranteeing fuel security in the country.
He also stressed that Ghana Petroleum Hub Development Corporation has also been established to develop the petrol chemical industry to provide materials required to manufacture solar panels, wind blades, and battery cells. This will contribute to our net-zero agenda without compromising the benefits of the petroleum industry.
Mercer said Ghana is aggressively developing and utilizing clean energy sources such as solar, wind and nuclear. Since 2017, the government of Ghana through the Bui Power Authority and Volta River Authority has made strides as the renewable energy leader. The total renewable energy mix is 100MW which is 2.4% of the national energy mix.
By Chidi Ekpewerechi
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