Economy seeks more credit with carbon capture technology pursuit

By Kizito CUDJOE

The country is actively pursuing advanced carbon capture technology to reduce emissions in power generation, in line with its goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2070.

Dr. Robert Sogbadji, Deputy Director of Power (Nuclear and Alternative Energy) at the Ministry of Energy, stressed the importance of this transition, underlining the incorporation of renewables like wind, solar and nuclear energy while maintaining a sustainable approach to oil and gas utilisation.

Speaking at a policy dialogue event in Accra marking World Sustainable Energy Day, Dr. Sogbadji outlined the country’s energy transition model, which includes mitigation and adaptation methods.

“That is why we want to introduce carbon capture technology to be able to cut down the emissions which are coming from our electricity generation,” he added.

He stressed the significance of introducing carbon capture technology to mitigate emissions from electricity generation while promoting renewable energy sources to form the base-load.

Ghana currently relies on renewable energy – hydro – for 33 percent of its energy mix, according to him, with plans to increase modern renewables such as solar and wind to 10 percent installed capacity by 2030.

The country is also advancing toward incorporating nuclear energy, with plans to announce a vendor company for the construction of its first nuclear power plant by the early 2030s.

Dr. Sogbadji projected significant progress toward achieving net zero emissions by 2030 or 2032, emphasising the importance of carbon capture technology, which is currently in negotiation stages for piloting before broader implementation.

On the proposed nuclear energy project, he said: “We are aggressively going on, and we are in phase two; and likely, by the end of this year we should be able to announce a vendor company to build our first nuclear power plant which we foresee to be in the energy mix by early 2030s”.

The policy dialogue was organised by the Centre of Excellence in Public Utility Regulation (CEPUR), a collaborative effort between the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) and the Ghana Institute for Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), aimed at promoting professionalism in the utility sector through research and policy discussions.

Prof. Samuel Kwaku Bonsu, Rector of GIMPA, emphasised the relevance of this year’s theme, ‘Energy Transition Now: Fast, Smart and Resilient’, in the context of global geopolitical dynamics and the climate crisis. He stressed the need for collective responsibility in addressing these challenges.

Former Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission, Dr. Alfred Ofosu-Ahenkorah, underscored the importance of thorough studies in addressing climate change while cautioning against overambitious plans, emphasising the need for a balanced approach to the energy transition.

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