Ghana’s decision to export electricity to Nigeria will have no adverse effect on domestic consumption, according to energy expert Samson Addae.
He highlighted that Ghana is already supplying power to Togo, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, and Burkina Faso, making Nigeria a natural and major potential market for the country’s energy sector.
Speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, Mr Addae assured the public that supplying electricity to neighbouring nations would not disrupt Ghana’s domestic power supply, as the country currently operates with excess generation capacity.
He explained that Ghana boasts an installed generation capacity of approximately 6,048 megawatts and a dependable capacity of about 5,448 megawatts, compared to a peak domestic demand of around 4,500 megawatts.
This difference between dependable capacity and peak demand provides a comfortable reserve for cross-border export, provided these transactions are carefully managed to protect local consumers.
Mr Addae further noted that Ghana is looking beyond its existing thermal power plants and exploring nuclear power as part of broader efforts to expand and diversify the national energy mix.
He emphasised that these strategic developments put Ghana in a prime position to trade electricity regionally, provided investment in generation capacity, transmission infrastructure, and grid management systems remains consistent.
“Ghana is currently sitting on a healthy generation reserve, meaning we can comfortably generate revenue from our regional neighbours without affecting domestic consumption,” Mr Addae remarked.
“So long as GRIDCo manages transmission carefully and we continue expanding into nuclear and renewable sources, exporting to Nigeria is purely a win-win for our economy.”
His comments came in response to an announcement made by the Energy and Green Transition Minister, John Abdulai Jinapor.
The Minister reiterated that the government’s overarching goal is to build robust generation and transmission capacity to meet local demand fully while positioning Ghana as an energy hub for the sub-region.
Ghana currently maintains active cross-border electricity trading arrangements with Togo, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, and Burkina Faso through the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo), whose transmission network is physically interconnected with these neighboring power systems.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
