Ghana’s first bilateral solar PPA

Plastic manufacturer Miniplast will buy electricity from a 704 kW grid-connected solar array owned and operated by Norwegian developer Empower New Energy AS.

The rooftop plant will be installed at Miniplast’s manufacturing and recycling facility.

Image: Empower New Energy

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Norway-based Empower New Energy has secured one of Africa’s first power purchase agreements (PPAs) for the supply of solar electricity.

Empower, which has a focus on project deployment in sub-Saharan Africa, said Ghanaian plastic manufacturer Miniplast Limited has agreed to buy electricity from a 704 kW rooftop solar array to be installed on its manufacturing and recycling facility in Accra, in the Ghanaian capital.

“The plant will be installed and operated by Stella Futura Ltd under a power sales agreement signed between the three partners,” Empower New Energy said. “The investment will be made through a local project company majority owned by Empower Invest, the impact investment fund managed by Empower New Energy.” Stella Futura will act as EPC contractor for the project.

Terms

The financial terms of the PPA were not revealed.

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The rooftop installation is slated to become operational in July.

A bilateral solar PPA in Africa was signed in January 2019 between Egyptian solar company SolarizEgypt and the Arabian Cement Company.

Ghana is increasing efforts to raise the share of renewables in its electricity mix. Under its energy strategy, the nation wants 2.5 GW of renewable energy generation capacity – probably including hydroelectric – by 2030. Ghana had just 64 MW of solar capacity at the end of 2018, according to International Renewable Energy Agency statistics.

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