ENGIE (www.ENGIE-Africa.com) and eleQtra (www.eleQtra.com), a developer of power and transportation projects in sub-Saharan Africa, signed a Joint Development Agreement that defines the terms and the schedule for the development and construction of the 50 MW Ada Wind power project in the Greater Accra Region in Ghana. The project is expected to require an investment of approximately $120 million and to start operations early 2019. ENGIE will enter as a 40% partner in the project.
The Ada Wind power project is located in the eastern part of the Greater Accra region. The combination of strong wind resources, availability of open land and good access to transmission infrastructure make this an excellent location. The project was initiated by eleQtra Limited. Initial studies have already been completed and demonstrate the project’s viability.
The Ada Wind project will contribute to the Ghanaian Government’s objective of generating 10% of its electricity from renewable resources. It is also in line with Ghana’s ambition to become a power generation hub in West Africa with the benefit of exporting power to its neighbours in the West African Power Pool.
eleQtra Partner Ebbe Hamilton said:
“eleQtra is delighted to have ENGIE joining the development of what we believe will be the first wind energy project in Ghana. We will now start the next phase of the development in order to bring the project as soon as possible into operation.”
Philippe Miquel, Regional Manager Western & Central Africa for ENGIE said:
“The Ghanaian Government is looking to strengthen its renewable energy industry and is putting in place a regulatory framework that should encourage the electrification of the country in an affordable and sustainable manner. The Ada Wind Project will be instrumental in the diversification of Ghana’s energy portfolio. Our partnership will bring the technical experience, the local knowledge and the funding required to develop, construct and deliver this competitive 50 MW wind project.”
eleQtra (www.eleQtra.com) is a leading player in the development, investment, management and operation of private infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa with a particular expertise in power generation. eleQtra has a 10 year track record of delivering greenfield infrastructure projects in multiple sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa and managing them through the full development cycle. eleQtra led the development of the award-winning Cabeólica wind farm in Cape Verde – the first large scale PPP for wind power production in Sub-Saharan Africa – which became fully operational in 2011 and remains the only operating wind farm in West Africa. In Ghana eleQtra led the development of the Cenpower IPP in Ghana which completed its $900m project financing in 2014 and was awarded the ‘PFI African Power Deal of the Year’.
eleQtra has a portfolio of over 300MW of renewable energy projects currently under development across Sub-Saharan Africa and offices in London, New York, Accra, Kampala, Lusaka and Mozambique. For more information visit www.eleQtra.com.
ENGIE (www.ENGIE-Africa.com) has been present in Africa for 50 years, where it rolls out its electricity, natural gas and services activities. ENGIE has centralised electricity capacities of approximately 3,000 MW in Africa, either operational or under construction. ENGIE is also developing decentralised electricity production for isolated businesses and rural villages, to achieve the global goal of providing 20 million people with access to electricity by 2020. The Group is studying possibilities for rolling out domestic solar systems and mini-networks, as well as the acceleration of the policy for solarising the power supply to telecoms towers in areas not connected to the electricity network. ENGIE is involved through its social investment fund, ENGIE Rassembleurs d’Energies, which invests in projects providing access to sustainable energy for populations living in precarious situations.
ENGIE is present in approximately 70 countries, employs 153,090 people worldwide and achieved revenues of €66.6 billion in 2016. The Group’s ambition is to become the leader of the new energy world by concentrating its activities on three key areas for the future: low-carbon electricity generation, energy global networks and efficient solutions adapted to all its customers.
