Ghana’s largest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has outlined its plans for the country’s energy sector for the next four years if voted back to power.
Ghanaians will be going to the polls on December 7, this year, to elect President and Members of Parliament to steer the affairs of the country in the next four years, beginning from 2021.
In this regard, the opposition party, NDC, on Monday, outdoored its 2020 Manifesto titled: ‘The People’s Manifesto’.
Below are what the opposition has promised to do in the energy sector if voted back to power on December 7:
The next NDC Government will:
a. aggressively support Ghanaian entrepreneurs, especially women, to build world-class energy businesses
b. review the implementation of the local content measures in the upstream oil and gas sectors and expand it to the power and renewables subsectors
c. use the energy sector to drive the productivity of our agriculture, industry, minerals,
and transportation sectors by providing fuel, power, and feedstock in line with our
integrated national planning framework.
Power Generation
The next NDC Government will:
steadily expand mini-hydro, thermal and renewable power generation to match growth
in demand, especially for heavy industries such as aluminium, iron and steel smelting
and for export
b. work to ensure the supply of affordable, reliable and sustainable supply of power for economic growth
c. administer the implementation of the Energy Sector Levy Act (ESLA) and the Cash Waterfall mechanism transparently to restore financial viability.
National Electrification
The next NDC Government will:
a. work to achieve universal access by 2025 by accelerating the rate of connectivity to the national grid where possible and deploying renewable energy systems where grid access is unrealistic
b. use proceeds from ESLA to boost the capacity of Ghanaian companies to achieve
universal access by 2025
c. promote sustainable and productive use of electricity to support rural industries
Reliability and Affordability of Power
The next NDC Government will:
a. prioritise cheaper hydropower for heavy industries (job creation) and vulnerable
homes (social safety nets) and use the rest to further lower average thermal tariffs
b. provide tax and other incentives to encourage thermal generators to lower tariffs
c. deploy smart technology to reduce power losses.
Universal Street lighting
The next NDC Government will:
resume universal street lighting programme to enhance public safety, security and
boost the night economy starting with major cities and district capitals by leveraging
the streetlight component of the ESLA
b. progressively light every village in the country through the ‘Light Up’ Ghana initiative.
Upstream Petroleum
The next NDC Government will:
a. prioritise the use of our oil and gas resources to propel accelerated economic growth, job creation and rapid industrialisation
b. set Ghana on the path to achieving production of one million barrels of oil per day
(1mbpd) by 2030
c. adopt policies and programmes that will ensure that all Ghanaians derive maximum
benefits from our petroleum resources
d. restore investor confidence and ensure transparency in the sector
e. ensure strict adherence to the provisions of the petroleum sector regulations and laws
f. make the allocation of exploration and production rights transparent and commercially effective
Downstream Petroleum
The next NDC Government will:
a. ensure value addition to our petroleum resources
b. reposition the Tema Oil Refinery to process our own crude oil
c. restore BOST to its core mandate of holding a national strategic stock in order to cushion the erratic price increase associated with the absence of fuel stock in the country
d. expand the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant to meet the national demand for gas-related products
e. aggressively promote LPG use as a substitute for wood fuel
f. revert to the use of Landing Beach Committees for pre-mix fuel distribution and
management to ensure transparency.
Renewable Energy
The NDC is committed to renewable energy as a clean, climate-friendly, electricity solution for households, remote communities and light industries.
The next NDC Government will deliver a golden age of renewables. We will surpass the ten (10) per cent of the energy mix specified in the
Renewal Energy Act by:
a. establishing a Renewable Energy Commission to give focus to our campaign on
renewables
b. accelerating the development of grid-connected solar, wind and biomass plants
c. encouraging the use of Roof-Top Solar by artisans and small businesses
d. requiring all new government buildings to incorporate solar systems in their designs, cost and implementation
e. retrofitting existing government buildings with solar systems
f. providing incentives for investment in the manufacture of solar panels and accessories in Ghana, including removal of import duties on solar equipment and accessories
g. encouraging private businesses and public institutions to use solar power
h. promoting the teaching of courses in renewable energy in TVET institutions.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com