Officials of Swedish Consulate and Ghana’s ambassador to Denmark, among others yesterday visited the project TC’s Energy project site in Ada Foah to inspect the ongoing project which involves TC’s Energy generating power from the sea.
They also visited the Ghana Highways Authority’s yard where some of the turbines and other key equipment including the sea going vessel that has already arrived for the eventual take-off of the power generating project.
Speaking at the function, the Chief Executive Officer of TC’s Energy, Mr. Tony Poku who took the delegation round explained that so far the project site has been cleared while the needed high tension cables necessary for the evacuation of the generated power will soon commence to link to Sogakope where it will be fed into the national grid.
At the Highways yard, he explained that the pilot has been successful and Ghana will soon have the biggest sea wave technology in the world.
The project which starts with the construction of an initial 100 MW sea wave park will eventually be scaled up to 1000 MW in five years.
Commenting after the tour, Mr. Fredrick Morsing, the Swedish Counselor to Ghana, expressed his satisfaction with what has been achieved so far adding that though the technology sounds simple, he knows that it will work.
‘This is an opportunity for Ghana to improve on her power generation abilities, I live here so I know about dumsor and there can be development without the availability of power.
‘This is a sustainable and environmentally friendly technology and I know it will bring great benefits to the country.
In her comments, Ghana’s ambassador to Sweden Mrs. Amerley Ollenu Awua-Asamoah said she is proud of the project and will give it her full support when she returns to her post.
District Chief Executive of Ada East Ms. Sarah Dugbakie-Pobee expressed her happiness saying it will open employment opportunities for the youth while greatly improving on the district’s tax revenue. She added that apart from stabilising power in the area she expressed her hope that TC’s Energy will through its corporate social responsibility, CSR, activities social life will also improve.
Present were members of the Ghana-Sweden Chamber of Commerce, GLICO, the official insurers and directors of TC’s Energy.
According to a statement earlier issued by the two companies, TC’s Energy, which holds a power purchase agreement for 1000 MW with Electric Company of Ghana Ltd, will own and operate the wave plant which Seabased, a Swedish firm has been contracted to design, manufacture, and install the turnkey wave energy park with an option for local final assembly of non-core technology as the project scales up.
The statement added that Seabased wave parks produce electricity using wave energy converters (WECs), which consist of buoys connected to linear generators. The buoys move with the waves, and this motion generates power. A switchgear makes the electricity suitable for grid use.
Concluding, the statement said TC’s Energy, a wholly owned Ghanaian company, aims to become the largest energy producing company through the use of ocean technology in Ghana, Africa and beyond. The company promotes the use of ocean energy in order to safeguard energy availability and security in Ghana and other African countries, to improve access to electricity, to create employment and expand investment opportunities in the country, and to help manage the sea erosion that is prevalent in some coastal areas.
By Kafui Gale-Zoyiku, Ada
