Ghana pledges support for WAPP project

Ghana has pledged to make available her exper­tise, resources, and insti­tutional support in order to ensure the timely and successful execution of the West Africa Power Pool (WAPP) 330 Kilovolt (KV) double circuit Cote d’ivoire-Ghana inter­connection reinforcement project.

The objectives of the project are to increase electricity trade between Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire and to im­prove WAPP network and market operations.

The Chief Director of the Min­istry of Energy and Green Transi­tion, Mr Solomon Adjetey Sowah, said this at the opening of a three-day ministerial meeting organised by the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition in Accra yesterday to review the outcomes of the proj­ect’s pre-investment studies by the Director General of the utilities and the Directors of the Energy Ministries of Ghana and Cote d’ivoire.

Mr Sowah, who spoke on be­half of the Minister of Energy and Green Transition, Mr John Abdulai Jinapor, cited that conclusions that would be drawn from the meeting would guide the collective deci­sion-making towards the realisa­tion of a strategic interconnection project for the two countries.

“Beyond the technical validation, we are also here to formalise our commitment through the signing of the signing of a legal instrument that will establish a robust frame­work for cooperation,” Mr Sowah explained.

He further elaborated that the framework, when established would not only facilitate the implementation of the project but would ensure the col­laboration between Ghana and Cote d’ivoire towards its implementation was grounded on mutual trust, transparency, and a shared responsibility.

For his part, the Chief Execu­tive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo), Mr Mark Awuah Baah, indicated that the WAPP Secretariat, the Cote d’ivoire-Energies (CI-Energies), and GRIDCo began conducting pre-in­vestigation studies for the project in 2011.

However, he stated, that the project was put on hold due to na­tional prioritisation matters but was re-launched in 2022 with support from the World Bank.

In addition, Mr Baah said that an update on the previous studies with regard to the project was carried by Studio Pietrangeli (SP), an Italian Consultant, under the coordination of the WAPP Secretariat in close collaboration with experts from CI-Energies, the Ministry of Mines, Petroleum, and Energy of Cote d’ivoire, and the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition.

The out­comes of the studies, he said, included the construction of a 330 KV double circuit transmission line with a length of approximate­ly 243 km, including 122 km in Cote d’ivoire and 121 km in Ghana, as well as an estimated cost of 154.4 million Euros for the project.

Furthermore, Mr Baah under­lined that the outcome of studies found the project technically and financially viable with a controlled impact on the environment.

The General Secretary of the WAPP, Mr Abdoulaye Dia, ex­pressed gratitude to Ghana, under the leadership of President John Dramani Mahama, and previous governments, for supporting the energy programmes of the Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS) and the WAPP.

According to him, such sup­port was needed in ensuring that the implementation of the 330 KV double circuit Cote d’ivoire-Ghana interconnection reinforcement project was a success.

Present at the meeting were representatives from the WAPP, CI-Energies, GRIDCo, Ministry of Energy and Green Transition, and Ministry of Mines, Petroleum, and Energy of Cote D’ivoire.

 BY BENJAMIN ARC­TON-TETTEY