0
0 Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the flagbearer of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), has pledged to add 2,000 megawatts of solar power to Ghana’s energy mix during his tenure as president.
Dr. Bawumia is of the view that the increasing cost of electricity renders businesses uncompetitive, thus the need for the country to take advantage of solar power. He, however, attributed the rising cost of electricity to the exchange rates and the cost of petroleum on the international market.
The leader of the NPP made the pledge during a meeting with the clergy in the Volta Region as part of his regional campaign tour.
According to Dr Bawumia, the exposure of Ghana’s energy mix to world crude prices and foreign exchange fluctuations increases the cost of living for the average Ghanaian and renders businesses uncompetitive.
“To reduce the cost of living is to look at our power generation. Ghana currently relies a lot on oil and gas to generate power and if you look at their [oil and gas] costs, they are quite high so anytime the prices move up in the Middle East, fuel, electricity, and transport prices also move up and so I want us to move away from oil and gas to solar power. It is the key for us in the generation of electricity.
“My goal and the goal that I have stated is that in the next four years, Ghana should add 2,000 megawatts of solar power to the generation of power and that is more than half of our consumption of electricity and so combine that with Akosombo and you would nearly reduce the cost of power by nearly 50 percent and that will give our businesses a competitive advantage.”
READ ALSO:
I’m poised to reduce cost of living – Bawumia promises
Dr Bawumia expressed his vision of aggressively expanding solar power over the next four years to mitigate the severe fuel costs burdening Ghanaians and businesses.
Meanwhile, according to data from the International Energy Agency, Ghana’s electricity mix in 2021 relied heavily on natural gas (62.6%) and hydropower (34.1%). Solar power accounted for less than one percent.
The post I’ll add 2,000 megawatts of solar power to Ghana’s energy mix – Bawumia first appeared on 3News.
