The Swedish ambassador accredited to Ghana H.E. Inger Ultvedt has commended TC’s Energy for their foresight in opting for renewable power generation from the sea at Ada Foah, in the Dangme East District of the Greater Accra Region.
Speaking after inspecting the project site and other equipment assembled at the Highway Yard in the town, she expressed her happiness at the tremendous preparation work done by TC’s Energy in acquiring the project site, and an ocean-going vessel that will be used in the installation of the turbines for the eventual generation of power.
Conducting her round the project site, Mr. Tony Opoku, Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of TC’s Energy explained that preparations are complete for the commencement of the project later this year in collaboration with Swedish wave technology developer, Seabased, to deliver a 100MW wave energy plant beginning with 200MW which will be eventually scaled up to 1000MW.
Also participating in the project are Glico Insurance as official insurers and Fidelity Bank, official bankers for the project whose first phase is expected to be completed within twenty-four months.
TC’s Energy which holds a power purchase agreement, PPA, for 1000MW with Electricity Company of Ghana, ECG, will own and operate the facility which will cost US$200m on completion of the first phase.
Mr. Opoku explained that this new technology will use the sea waves to generate power which will then be evacuated onshore and fed into the national grid.
He explained that the absence of a high-tension grid from Ada, the project site into the national grid means the initial power generated in the coming months will be fed into the ECG transformer at Ada temporarily while work continues on building a high-tension grid link between the project site to Sogakope where the nearest GridCo transformer is located.
This phase of the project is being built with funds from SKC, Swedish export credit guarantee. The wave park will be manufactured, delivered and installed in several phases while final negotiations for financing the complete wave park are ongoing and involve both European and African private investors, private financial institutions and public funding institutions.
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 after a successful pilot.
TC’s Energy which holds a power purchase agreement for 1000 MW with Electricity 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.
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.
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.
Present were representatives of GLICO and Fidelity Bank.
By Kafui Gale-Zoyiku