Ghana may import electricity by end of  2022 if …

prepayment

Ghana may import electricity as a result of short-term capacity shortages caused by faults or fuel supply contingencies, the 2022 Electricity Supply Plan for Ghana has revealed.

The initial plan was no import of power till the end of the year. However, inadvertent energy exchanges on tie-lines could result from transient flows.

The report indicated that Ghana’s system peak demand is projected to increase from 3,987 megawatts (MW) in 2023 to 5,172 MW in 2027.

Also, the total electricity requirement for Ghana including power exports to Togo, Benin, Burkina, and Mali is projected to increase from 25,983 gigawatt/hour (GWh) in 2023 to 34,920 GWh by 2027 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of approximately 7.7%.

This requires an additional capacity to augment the existing generating facilities and the enlisted committed generation projects from years 2023 to 2027 to continue to meet projected demand with adequate reserve margin as required for reliability.

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The report further revealed that an estimated amount of $872.8 will be required to purchase natural gas to run the thermal plants (.i.e. a monthly average of $72.74).

This includes provision for Light Cycle Oil (LCO), diesel, and Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) during the gas outage period which leads to a total of $988 million required for fuel purchase in 2022.

Again, the relocation of the 250 MW Ameri Power Plant from Takoradi to Kumasi will reduce transmission system losses significantly.

 It will also improve the voltage regulation in Kumasi & its environs and aid export.

The report further said additional generation capacity will be needed from 2023. Specifically, 184 MW, 187 MW, 114 MW, and 337 MW additional generation capacity will be needed in 2023, 2024, 2026, and 2027, respectively.

Recommendations

The report noted that due to the growing electricity demand in Ghana, there is an urgent need to make arrangements to increase gas supply volumes for more Thermal generation.

Also, it is very important to make necessary investments towards an improved gas supply reliability owing to the increasing dependency on natural gas for power generation.

Again, efforts should be expedited to complete the relocation of the 250 MW Ameri Power Plant to Kumasi by September 2022 to create a new generation enclave in Kumasi as well as create a new generation enclave between Kasoa and Winneba to improve network stability and supply reliability to Accra.

Business Analyst

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