A BRITISH solar company is to build a $400m solar plant in Ghana creating hundreds of jobs and cutting carbon emissions.
It will be the largest in the whole of Africa, and the fourth largest in the world.
Blue Energy said the said the 155MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant will be fully operational by October 2015.
The West African country’s will be a replica of the company’s plant in Swindon (albeit 31 times bigger!)
The company said it expects to create 200 permanent jobs and 500 during the construction phase, which already has the go-ahead from planning authorities.
Source of much of the world’s cocoa and an increasingly significant oil producer, Ghana’s new drive to exploit the sun’s energy is predicted to create hundreds of jobs and increase the country’s electricity capacity by 6%, as well as cutting emissions.
Construction on the Nzema project is due to begin near the village of Aiwiaso in western Ghana by the end of 2013, with the installation of some 630,000 PV modules.
Chris Dean, chief executive of Blue Energy, said: “Ghana’s forward-thinking strategy puts it in a strong position to lead the renewable energy revolution in sub-Saharan Africa.
“Nzema is a case study in how governments can unlock the huge potential for solar energy in Africa. We are delighted that it will make a strong contribution to the national economy, provide much needed generating capacity and help develop the skills of the future.”
The average carbon footprint of a Ghanian is 0.4 tonnes of CO2, compared to 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per head in the UK.
