Ghana: British High Commissioner to Ghana announces Ayitepa wind farm ready for construction in 2016

The  British High Commissioner to Ghana, Jon Benjamin, hosted a breakfast for business and political leaders at his residence in Accra to announce the country’s first large-scale wind farm located in Ayitepa, which is Ghana’s only independent power generation facility ready to commence construction next year.

Speaking at the event he said:  “Ghana is a key trade partner for the UK and has over the years been a favourable destination for UK businesses seeking to make an impact in all sectors of the local economy. The Ayitepa Wind Farm is a great example of how a UK company – Mainstream Renewable Power – is willing and able to help the Government of Ghana to overcome the current power shortages in the country. This project is one of very few that can go straight into construction in 2016 and start generating power in short order.  Utilising Ghana’ s considerable renewable energy potential is therefore an exciting development, not only in helping make up current shortfalls in power production but also as a means to support  the nation’s economic development in the long-term.”

The project, which represents a total investment of approximately USD525 million, has all the main elements in place or close to being finalised in order to commence construction next year. The wind resource, measured over three years, has been confirmed to be viable; environmental permits have been obtained and grid connection agreement and power purchase agreement are being finalised.

Also speaking at the event, Mainstream’s Business Development Manager, Chris Matthews commented: “We are pleased that the Ayitepa Wind Farm is ready to start construction next year and will make a very meaningful contribution to the country’s power sector. This is the country’s first large-scale wind farm and will be capable of contributing 10% of the nation’s electricity demand during peak usage times.

He added: “This wind farm will bring two significant benefits to Ghana; first is the speed at which it can be delivered.  This 225 megawatt wind farm can go into construction next year and be generating during construction. The second benefit is that the fuel is free and indigenous to Ghana. So the wind farm does not depend in imported fossil fuels such as gas, in order to generate electricity.”