Ghana’s power transmission company, GRIDCo, has received €9.7 million grant from European Union through the French Development Agency–Agence Francaise Development (AFD) to boost infrastructure works on its interconnection line between Ghana and Burkina Faso.
The grant facility will be used to finance the upgrading of an 18km long 161kV transmission line located between Ahodwo and Anwomaso substation in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of the West African nation.
It will also support power transfer capacity from the South of the country up to Burkina Faso, through the 330kV line from Kumasi to Bolgatanga as well as reductions in transmission losses.
The 330kV line project was initially financed with a US$174 million loan from AFD to GRIDCo and a €4.8 million technical assistance grant from the EU. Speaking at a short ceremony in Accra, Ghana’s capital, on Wednesday, January 27, 2021, EU’s Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Diana Acconcia emphasised the project’s contribution to securing the overall Ghana-Burkina Faso interconnection line, which is a priority under the West African Power Pool (WAPP): “It is a great example of European partners coming together to support the integration of regional electricity markets. This project will also directly benefit Ghana. It will enhance the efficiency and reliability of the transmission network, and strengthen the electricity flows to the North. Thus, contributing to the industrialisation of those regions and unlock new economic opportunities.”
On her part, Her Excellency Anne Sophie Avé, France’s Ambassador to Ghana, said: “France is a long time and constant partner of GRIDCO. When GRIDCO most needed support, France was there through her operator, the AFD. Because the only way is up and forward, this new project, supported by EU and France, will strengthen one of the largest development investments of France for Ghana to enhance and upgrade electricity transport in Ghana and from Ghana. It will improve the reliability of energy distribution and bring revenues to the country through exports of over-production. This exemplary partnership between Ghana and France will provide sustainable ‘greener’ growth, jobs and revenues for the Ghanaian people.”
The CEO of GRIDCo, Jonathan Amoako-Baah said: “This financial support from the EU represents a significant investment in our quest to remain the leading power transmitter in the sub-region. Our long-standing relationship with the EU, through AFD, continues to prove instrumental in the delivery of quality access to electricity in West Africa, in line with Goal 7 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
Source: Michael Creg Afful of energynewsafrica.com