Bawumia To Invest Heavily In Solar Energy

…Initiative To Reduce Costs Of Electricity By 50 Percent

The Vice president and Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, is promising to transition Ghana from the use of fuel to solar energy by investing heavily in the solar sector.

The initiative, he said, if implemented, could reduce drastically the costs of electricity by 50 percent in the event that he wins the upcoming December 7, general election.

He said, when given the nod, he would introduce about 2000 megawatts of solar power within his first term.

He argues that, having abundant of sun, means that with commitment and investment in the area, the country can harness this natural resource to generate the same electricity at a cheaper cost.

“The next major objective for me is to bring down the cost of power, electricity. And how am I going to do it? I want to do it by shifting Ghana away from fuel-generated power to solar-generated power. I want us to move from fuel to solar.

“Solar is given to us by God for free. If we have to buy fuel, we need foreign exchange and then we have to import. But solar we can harness it and generate power.”

“So, I want us to bring 2000 megawatts in the first four years. That is about half our consumption in the first four years and we can reduce the cost of power by at least 50% if we move in this direction…I want Ghana to start manufacturing solar panels as well and then let us start supplying the rest of Africa with it,” he stated.

He said, the amount is approximately half of the country’s current power consumption and could potentially reduce power costs by at least 50percent.

The NPP Flagbearer, made this known during his campaign tour, as he outlined his vision for the country, highlighting his plans for the energy sector.

Dr Bawumia, expressed his intention for Ghana, to also begin manufacturing solar panels to become a supplier for other parts of the continent of Africa.

“I believe one way we can reduce the cost of electricity is by transitioning from oil-based fuel power generation to solar power. Let’s use the sun to generate electricity instead of oil-based fuel. I plan to introduce 2000 MW of solar power. God gives us the sun for free; we don’t need foreign exchange to import the sun, but we need foreign exchange to import oil-based fuel.”

If successful, this will mean a very well-focused and ambitious move by the vice president in the country’s energy policy direction which will go a long way to help sustainability of the environment for Ghana and beyond.

Earlier in the Ablekuma West constituency in the Greater Accra Region, Dr Bawumia, also reiterated the same pledge.

Speaking at a rally in Dansoman Tony Park on Monday after touring some ongoing projects within the municipality, Dr Bawumia, said such an initiative, would reduce the burdens on companies, manufacturers, and households.

Electric Vehicles

Additionally, the NPP flagbearer, said his government would fully operationalise electric vehicles to help reduce transport fares by 40 per cent, as fuel prices on the international market keep escalating.

He said, the next NPP government, would introduce initiatives and policies that would make living conditions flexible for Ghanaians to enable them to enjoy life.

Dr Bawumia, said he would introduce flat rate port charges on imported products, which would enable importers to pay cheaper import duties than that of neighbouring country, Togo.

He explained that, this would ensure that goods and services, become cheaper to the ordinary Ghanaian and reduce the burden on importers.

Source: Anchorghana.com