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By Justice Ahoto
The Volta River Authority (VRA) is collaborating with government to deploy 1,000 megawatts of combined-cycle power plants within the next five years, the Chief Executive, Mr. Edward Ekow Obeng-Kenzo has announced.
He explained that under the initiative, existing power plants in good condition around the world will be sourced and relocated to Ghana to serve as reliable base load generation for renewable energy in a fast and cost-effective manner.
Mr. Obeng-Kenzo made the disclosure when he addressed this year’s Society of Volta River Authority Engineers (SOVRAE) 2025 Conference at the Royal Senchi Resort/Hotel in Akosombo. The day’s Conference was on the theme: Engineering the Transition: Reliable, Renewable & Resilient.
Regarding gas to power the plants, he indicated that with abundant natural gas resources available to Ghana and Nigeria, the two countries must harness the gas to bring about the development the sub-region yearns for.
Touching on the theme, Mr. Obeng-Kenzo noted that Africa with its good sunny weather all year round has a unique opportunity for renewable energy drive, particularly solar.
He noted, however, that the sun does not shine 24 hours a day, and for Ghana and its neighbouring countries, which depend on VRA for their power requirements, peak electricity demand occurs at night. “This means that if we want to engineer the energy transition in our part of the world to provide reliable, renewable, and resilient electricity for our development purposes, we must, as a necessity, have a reliable base load electricity generation that will
complement the renewable opportunities available to us,” Mr. Obeng-Kenzo explained.
The Chief Executive emphasised that the Authority is privileged to own the Akosombo Dam, one of the largest electricity storage facilities in the world, and that with the right coordination, technology, and configuration, it can also be used to support the integration of variable renewables within the entire West African grid. “As we transition to cleaner energy sources, we must ensure that reliability is not compromised. Our move toward combined cycle operations in our thermal plants is a strategic step to maintain a solid base while scaling up renewable investments,” he stated.
Mr. Obeng-Kenzo commended the members of SOVRAE for the role they have been playing over the years by providing a solid partnership with management, stressing that “This collaboration has helped ensure that the Authority continues to uphold the tenets and traditions of the VRA brand in our quest to become a Model of Excellence for Power Utilities in Africa”.
He called for closer collaboration between the Authority and SOVRAE to influence public policy, sustain collective campaign towards the promotion and growth of engineers, as well as build and promote a sustainable Authority.
