The Energy Commission and the Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission are working on guidelines to enable individual off-grid renewable energy producers to connect excess power to the national grid.
The Net Metering Scheme will allow electricity consumers to supplement their purchase of electricity with renewable energy connected to the national grid.
This was revealed by Mr Hebert Krapa, a Deputy Minister of Energy, on the second day of the 5th Ghana Mining and Energy Summit underway in Accra on Thursday.
Organised by the Ghana Chamber of Mines, this year’s summit is on the theme: “harnessing mining and energy potential for sustainable mining development.”
Mr Krapa said an effective implementation of the Net Metering Scheme would help to promote the use of renewable energy as part of the country’s Energy Transition plan.
“We have seen new technologies and private participation in solar generation. The Government’s plan is that you are able to put your excess power on the grid and whenever you need it back, Government will give it back to you. We believe this will help to increase renewable consumption in the energy mix,” he said.
The Ministry of Energy has developed a National Energy Transition Framework (2022-2070) to decarbonise the energy sector to net zero levels as part of commitments under the Paris Agreement.
The framework balances existing efforts with new initiatives, to increase renewable energy penetration, convert thermal plants to natural gas, and integrate nuclear power into the energy mix.
Mr Krapa said measures were underway to expand the National Energy Portfolio with more renewables for sustainable development.
He said the Government was determined to reach by 2030, 10 per cent renewable energy capacity.
“Our diversified energy mix will include 21GW of renewable energy, providing us the opportunity to commercialise renewable energy carbon credit; and electricity generation from this energy mix should push its cost below 4.5cents/kwh,” he said.
Mr Krapa urged stakeholders in the mining sector to commit to responsible mining practices that minimise environmental impact.
He urged players in the industry to also prioritise community engagement and promote corporate social responsibility.
Mr Seth Twum-Akwaboah, the Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Ghana Industries, appealed to the Minister to push for special tariff arrangements for the metal sector.
He said the high cost of electricity was a challenge for the sector, adding that a special tariff adjustment would reduce the cost of production and promote a viable industry.
Professor Richard Amankwah, the Vice Chancellor, University of Mines and Technology, urged local industry players to shift from “buying to sell” to “doing to sell” to ensure effective local content participation in the mining sector.
“We like buying and selling more than manufacturing and selling and that mind-set I believe is the weakest link in this whole chain of events,” he said.
