Spain’s Elecnor has completed a solar power plant project in Ghana. President Nana Akufo-Addo, on October 10, commissioned the 6.5-MW Lawra solar power plant, located in the Upper West Region after an eight-month construction period.
State entity Volta River Authority (VRA) also participated in the project that had initially been planned to be a 4MWp installation but was later upgraded to 6.5 MWp by the government. The facility is connected to the grid via a medium-voltage transmission line connected to a 34.5 kV substation in Lawra.
President Akufo-Addo said the commissioning ceremony reaffirms the commitment of government to diversify the country’s energy generation portfolio. He added that the move will help increase the renewable energy component of the country’s energy mix and contribute to the fight against the effects of climate change.
“The completion of this project in Lawra should remind all of us that the government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo delivers on its promises,” he added.
The President continued: “As I indicated at the sod cutting ceremony, this solar plant is the first of its kind ever to be established in the Upper West Region. This means the Upper West Region has now its fair share of power generation facilities in the country.”
“I am pleased that the contractor, in the process of constructing this plant, employed some 100 people from communities within the Lawra District. I am expectant that persons, particularly the youth, with the requisite technical skills, would be recruited for the operation and maintenance phase of this facility,” he continued.
“It is gratifying to learn that the Volta River Authority (VRA) will ensure that this facility becomes a source for practical studies on solar power operations by technical universities in the regions of the northern sector of Ghana,” President Akufo-Addo added.