We need affordable baseload power for Industrialisation - BPA

Mr. Anthony Osafo Kissi, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Bui Power Authority (BPA), says there is a need for immediate action to ensure a sustainable supply of reliable and affordable baseload power for Ghana's Industrialisation agenda.

He observed that between the year 2000 and 2020 for instance, electricity consumption by the industrial sector, which is the backbone of Ghana's economy, did not see any significant increase in power demands because most industries had folded up due to the high cost of electricity from oil-based thermal power plants.

"The need for more reliable and affordable electricity generation as baseload power to support value chain addition to the abundant natural resources is, therefore, very necessary," he said.

Mr. Osafo Kissi made the remarks at a three-day energy workshop for selected media professionals in Accra on the theme: "Ghana Steps into Nuclear Future".

Organised by the Nuclear Power Ghana (NPG) in collaboration with Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), the workshop was to build the capacity of the media in the nuclear sector.

Over 50 media practitioners from both the private and state-owned media houses participated in the training.

Mr. Osafo Kissi said it was estimated that the natural gas production from the available reserves in Ghana would decline in the next decade unless new gas reserves were discovered.

"What we need is cheap source power for value chain addition. Worldwide, developed and industrialised countries have relied on cheap electric power from hydro, coal, nuclear and natural gas for reliable electricity to support their industrialisation," he noted.

He observed that Ghana had depended on Akosombo Hydro as a baseload for its industrialisation, however, "as the demand increased, Ghana had to diversify to include oil-based generation, which is expensive and cannot help industries," he said.

He, therefore, urged the media to have a proper understanding of the Ghana Nuclear Programme and embrace the nuclear power agenda to support industrialisation.

Mr. Osafo Kissi also expressed BPA's commitment towards supporting NPG to develop their first Nuclear Power Plant in Ghana adding, "Nuclear is clean and emits no carbon dioxide unlike coal and other thermal power plants," he said.

The participants were taken through topics like; non-critical approach by the media and nuclear energy; key issues for Ghana's nuclear power development; Vendor and strategic partner selection, potential technology and socio-economic impact on Ghana, Ghana's legal framework and readiness for the nuclear power project.

Other topics were: Strengthening energy news reporting, managing the nuclear stories and understanding the key safety and security factors of Ghana's nuclear power project.