KUDOS, TOGBE AFEDE, PARTNERS

SINCE the drought of 1983, the country’s energy resources have come under serious pressure because of the lack of an efficient energy supply mix. Until the Aboadze Thermal Plant, which has its own engineering and operational challenges, came on stream about a decade ago, the country’s main energy supply has been hydro.
Efforts so far at tapping into renewable energy such as solar energy and wind have not been very successful.
Elsewhere, the experiment on the use of daylighting, which is the tradition of orienting houses to benefit from natural resources such as the sun, has very little to show in terms of results. Sometimes the argument has been that renewable energy is not cost-effective as it often needs government incentives in order to be viable.
The government has been trying to stimulate investment in the energy sector in order to avoid a recurrence of the energy crisis that hit the country from August 2006 to September 2007.
Various cases of technology mix such as the use of gas, solar energy, wind and hydro are being explored with the aim of improving efficiency and reducing cost. The policy initiatives, which include the acquisition of generator sets, expediting work on the West African Gas Pipeline Project and the commencement of work on the Bui Dam Project, as well as the creation of the enabling environment for the private sector, are all geared towards meeting the demands of the market.
The underlying theory is that competition in the energy market will drive down the cost of supplying energy and thereby minimise the cost to the consumer.
It is against this background that the DAILY GAPHIC welcomes the commencement of work on the 560 MW gas-steamed combined cycle power generation plant in Tema.
The project, Sunon Asogli Power Generation Plant, which is the first privately-owned power plant in the country, is expected to complement the energy requirements of the country to forestall the energy crisis that hit the country last year as a result of the low level of water in the Volta Lake, the main source of hydro electric power generation.
It is encouraging that at the ceremony, the President again gave the assurance that the government had put in place interventions to increase the country’s energy needs and also to encourage private sector participation in the energy sector.
The DAILY GRAPHIC commends the Sunon Asogli Power Generation Plant project, spearheaded by Togbe Afede XIV, for efforts at seeking the joint venture with Shenzhen Energy Group Company Limited of China.
We recall the initial challenges the project faced but it is heart-warming that the initiators of the project managed to surmount those difficulties to set the pace for the attainment of their dreams.
This gigantic endeavour by Togbe Afede and his partners will impact positively on the country’s energy mix and make available the required energy to power the country’s development agenda without any interruptions.
However, the Daily Graphic believes that private sector investment in the energy sector will boom, if the government intervenes to provide the necessary incentives.
The sector should not be left to the market forces because the industry needs government sponsorship and incentives such as tax subsidies and various rebates to encourage investors to venture into the sector. This way, generation becomes more efficient and production cheaper so that consumers can afford it.
The Daily Graphic salutes Togbe Afede and his partners for this singular initiative which, when completed, will change the face of energy supply in the country. But let no one stand in their way because they need our co-operation to succeed.