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Renewable energy is expensive, says EIA head

By Ebenezer SABUTEY

The head of Social and Environmental Impact Assessment at the Ghana Energy Commission, Eric Ofori Nyarko, has lauded government’s introduction of the renewable energy into the electric power generation sector.

Nyarko, in an exclusive interview with BusinessWeek , indicated that renewable energy is a good source of energy if only an enabling environment gas been created for the nation to use it without any financial and power supply difficulties.

He commented on how expensive the cost of solar panels is and its implications in terms of power generation, considering how electricity is consumed in the country.

“Issues of renewable energy cannot be solved at ease, maybe ten or twenty years to come,” he said.

He therefore recommended the use of renewable energy for future use when the nation’s economy is very strong and government can subsidize the electricity bills for its consumers at a higher percentage.

“If the nation is ready to afford the use of renewable energy for now, if it is not going to depend on its donor partners then fair enough, but if Ghana wants to depend on donor countries, they are also going to come with their own recommendations which may be a hindrance to the nation’s economy,” he stressed.

Victor Owusu, who is the head of Public Relations at the Energy Commission, believes that Ghanaians must get prepared for the renewable energy as a source of electricity supply and forget about it being expensive.

Commenting on the Renewable Energy Bill, he said the bill is set to pave the way for other policies that the Energy Commission is looking forward to being approved by cabinet.

The bill is therefore aiming at increasing the promotion of the use of renewable energy and improved access to electricity through the use of renewable energy sources.


According to Mr. Owusu, the EC Act 1997(Act541) has given the commission the mandate to develop alternative sources of energy, especially renewable energy, to supplement existing energy supply in Ghana.

“Consequently, the Energy Commission is promoting the Renewable Energy Bill to ensure the integration of renewable energy into the national energy mix, to enhance energy security, provide a regulatory framework that would enable investors in renewable energy to ply their trade devoid of barriers associated with renewable energy, and to improve access to clean energy and address climate change,” he said.

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