Ghana experiences an electricity shortage of nearly 500 MW daily. This often leads to blackouts, which can last up to 24 hours. According to a Celebrating Progress Africa report, these chronic blackouts stem from insufficient rain to operate hydro facilities, obsolete equipment, inefficiency and a long-term failure to add capacity to the grid.
The country’s solution is a 140 metre-long power-generating ship – the Aysegul Sultan – operated by Turkish power company Karadeniz Powership. The floating power station, which is contracted under a 10-year agreement, will either be anchored offshore or moored at quayside, and will transmit power through cables or transmission lines.
This, together with an additional supply of 250 MW from Dubai-based independent producer Africa Middle East Resources Investment, is set to feed 450 MW into Ghana’s grid.
