Nzema Solar Power Station is set for construction in Awiaso Village, Ellembelle District (formerly part of Nzema East District), in the Western Region of Ghana. This location is approximately 272 kilometers north of the port city of Takoradi.
The 155MW project first emerged in the 2010s with Mere Power Nzema Ltd (MPNL), a subsidiary of Mere Power UK (MPUK), and Blue Energy Ltd (BUL) as the developers. In November 2013, MPNL briefed the Minister for Energy and Petroleum, on their proposed Solar PV power plant project that would be financed with a combination of equity, vendor finance, and non-recourse debt.
In March 2014, MPNL signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), and in September of the same year, MPNL issued a license to commence construction works.
The construction works are however yet to begin. The project was reportedly shelved at its planning stage.
Reported earlier
April 2015
Ghana to host Nzema Solar Power Station, the largest solar power plant in Africa
Ghana is set to host the largest solar power plant in Africa, the Nzema solar park to be located in the country’s Western Region. The 155MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant project will be done at a cost of US$400M and is expected to improve Ghana’s electricity deficit by a 6% rise in capacity as well as create hundreds of jobs for Ghanaians and reduce emissions.
The Nzema solar park project is to be the fourth biggest of its kind in the world is scheduled for completion by October this year.
The solar power project will involve the installation of 630,000 PV modules and it is expected that the plant will generate power to help the country’s desire to increase renewable energy catch to 10% by 2020.
The solar power project, which is expected to cost US$400 million, has been given a generation license and a feed-in tariff for 20 years of power generation. Nzema solar power plant will be hooked to the 61 kV West African Power Pool power transmission line, that links Ghana to Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria.
Blue Energy is the company behind the solar power project. Chris Dean, the Chief Executive of Blue Energy has been quoted on their website as saying that Ghana has a forward-thinking strategy that puts it in a strong position to lead the renewable energy revolution in sub-Saharan Africa.
He added that Nzema is a case study of how governments can unlock the huge potential for solar energy in Africa.
Nzema solar park project will replace distinctive ‘troughs’ with PV modules as PV module technology only requires light and not direct sunlight, meaning the farm will still be capable of generating electricity even during 100 cloudy days in Ghana.
Chinese company Hanergy Group is also planning to construct a solar power plant in Ghana at the cost of US$1bn according to a recent announcement.
