MPs inspect Yendi solar plant built by Ghanaian firm

Parliament’s Select Committee on Energy and Mines has inspected the 50-megawatt-peak (MWp) solar power plant at Galgu in the Yendi Municipality of the Northern Region, and praised the Ghanaian company that built it.

According to Mike FM, the committee visited the site on Monday. The plant belongs to the Bui Power Authority (BPA) and was constructed by First Sky Limited, which the report describes as a wholly Ghanaian-owned firm whose own engineers handled the planning, installation and construction.

Committee Chairman Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, who led the delegation, said he had been unaware that a local company could deliver a project of that scale and described himself as impressed by the work.

The Ranking Member, George Kwame Aboagye, urged government to build more solar plants across the north, arguing that the area’s strong sunshine is an under-used resource that could help diversify Ghana’s energy mix.

Charles Gidi, who chairs First Sky’s project implementation committee, told the visiting MPs that construction ended in September 2026, after which the plant was tested and connected to the national grid. He said the company would keep to the technical and operational standards expected of it.

BPA’s Director of Engineering, Peter Acheampong, said the extra power from Galgu would strengthen supply on the grid.

Why it matters

Yendi and other towns along the Eastern Corridor have long dealt with power outages and voltage fluctuations because they sit at the far end of long transmission lines. Officials say generation close to these communities should ease pressure on the transmission network and give residents more stable electricity.

Mike FM and earlier reports, including by Graphic Online, put the plant’s cost at $59 million. On Wednesday, however, the BPA said the plant cost about $50 million and was financed by First Sky under an engineering, procurement and construction-plus-financing arrangement, to be repaid from electricity sales over five to seven years. The figures have not been reconciled publicly. The report did not say how many households the plant will serve or how many jobs it created.

Source: Mike FM — mikeradioonline.com