President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana commissioned the country’s first micro hydroelectric plant at Alavanyo, in the Volta Region. The Tsatsadu Generating Station (TGS), situated on the Tsatsadu Waterfalls in the Hohoe District of the Volta Region, has a capacity of 45kW with the possibility of adding another 40-60kW capacity turbine in the future. The commissioning took place the last week of November.
President Akufo-Addo speaking at the commissioning said the project will add to the country’s generation mix. He said “this important project is going to assist the people of Volta Region and Ghana as a whole, and we will get the best out of it because it is wholly owned by us the Ghanaian people. The design and engineering and its construction is all Ghanaian owned. It’s been done 100 percent by the engineers and the workers of the Bui Power Authority. For us also to get the full benefit, there is going to be a research site for those who are going to be operating it to get the necessary knowledge.”
In attendance was the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Prof. Michael Ocquaye, who was the Minister of Energy when the idea of the Tsatsadu Micro Hydroelectric Plant was mooted in 2005. Other dignitaries included the Paramount Chief of the Alavanyo Traditional Area, Togbegah Tsedze Attakora VII, the Chief of Alavnayo-Abehenease, Togbe Komla Kunde V, the Honorable Minister of Energy, John-Peter Amewu, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Bui Power Authority, Fred Oware.
The project, which cost $400,000 was funded largely by internally generated funds from BPA and a contribution of $80,000, provided by the UNDP/Energy Commission Renewable Energy Technology Transfer (RETT) project which received funding from the Danish Government to cover procurement of electromechanical equipment and technical support.
The TGS, which is a run-of-river scheme, will not require the formation of a reservoir. It consists of a concrete diversion weir, an intake structure, diversion channel, a forebay, steel penstock, a powerhouse and a transmission line to tie the electricity generated into the distribution grid. The weir diverts part of the river flow through an intake channel into the diversion channel. The diverted water goes through a 300mm diameter penstock to the base of the hill where the powerhouse, which houses the turbines and the generator, is located. The water drives the turbines and flows out through the tailrace channel and into the downstream of the waterfall.
The construction of the TGS was undertaken with local expertise: thus, the young engineers of the Bui Power Authority (BPA). These engineers obtained the skill during the development of the 400-MW Bui Generation Station, located in Bui. That experience came to bear on the construction of the 45kW TGS.
The micro-hydro plant, which is the first of its kind in Ghana, will draw academia, tourists, students and people from all walks of life to visit the plant. It will serve, among other things, as a practical tutorial plant for engineering students across the country and the West African sub-region. The Hohoe Municipal Assembly is also expected to benefit from the TGS as an addition to its tourists’ products within the enclave.
The Tsatsadu Generating Station is a firm foundation in developing a concept of delivering energy services to rural areas to create employment, alleviate poverty and generate wealth through employment opportunities that will be made available through operators operating the system, security personnel manning the plant and maintenance staff that will be maintaining the transmission lines.