Smart grid technology company BPL Global Ltd., in partnership with BPL Africa, has announced that it signed a five-year modern grid contract with Ghana’s national utility Volta River Authority (VRA). The agreement will include smart grid technologies and broadband over power line (BPL) communications technology on the 11kV power distribution network of VRA.
The modern grid will allow VRA to significantly increase the productivity of their existing electrical network by delivering additional electricity and communications services.
"In Ghana, demand for electricity has been increasing at a rate of 10 to 15% per annum for the last two decades. Thus an important consideration is to match the growth rate of electricity demand with adequate supply. BPL Global’s Power SG(R) solutions have successfully proven in deployments that important savings can be achieved with smart grid solutions that improve efficiency and reliability of energy distribution. We are very pleased through our partnership with BPLG to be able to deploy smart grid solutions that will greatly benefit quality of life and economic expansion in Ghana," said Dieudonne Bakarani, President of BPL Africa, who also stated that BPL Africa is presently finalizing plans for smart grid deployments in a number of other sub Saharan countries.
"In building a modern grid, VRA is establishing themselves as a leader and innovator in electrical network technology. BPL Global’s integrated demand management solution alone can proactively manage the load curve to optimize electricity supply and demand," said Pascal Julienne, President Executive Director of BPL Global EMEA. "Demand management and efficiency solutions are one of the most valuable investments a utility can make. As an alternative to building new generation, demand management can be deployed for about 1/3 of the investment."
The smart grid system is designed to reduce frequency and duration of outages, improve the balance of supply and demand, and improve operational efficiency. Smart grid technology is ready to have a significant impact improving the efficiency and reliability of energy delivery in Ghana.
"VRA’s focus right now is to make sure that we produce reliable, stable and adequate power," said Owura Kwaku Sarfo, Chief Executive VRA. "To achieve our goal of efficient and reliable energy for Ghana, we have chosen BPL Global’s Power SG smart grid solutions as we believe that building an intelligent and modern grid is our best investment in the future."