In its quest to cut rising energy costs for industries, the Association of Ghana Industries-Energy Service Centre (AGI-ESC), has launched a network to promote the use of renewable energy to reduce cost in energy usage within Ghana’s industrial sector.
Dubbed “Energy Efficiency Network (EEN)”, it will provide a platform for industries in Ghana to improve their energy efficiency, thereby reducing their energy costs and carbon emissions and enhancing their competitiveness within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework.
The network, made up of 12 industries across various sectors including plastic, steel, food, agribusiness, pharmaceutical and cosmetics, will run until December 2025.
Each member company will be provided with technical support, including an ISO 50002:2014 compliant comprehensive audit that will enable companies to assess their energy and CO2 savings potential, estimate the cost of the required investment, analyse the economic benefits of the measures, individual energy savings targets and return on investment for each measure.
Through the Energy Efficiency Network (ENN), industries will enjoy reduced operational expenses, improved energy security and a reduced carbon footprint which will contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy, Goal 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, and Goal 13- a Climate Action.
Energy efficiency
In a speech read on his behalf at the launch of the network in Accra yesterday (September 29), the Minister of Energy, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, said the EEN is one of the benefits that the ESC presents to Ghana’s commercial and industrial users of electricity.
He said the network is envisaged to provide a platform for interaction and collaboration among commercial and industrial clients as they come together to explore solutions to address energy management challenges through knowledge and experience sharing.
Energy efficiency, he said, was a critical part of Ghana’s Renewable Master Plan (REMP) which highlights the adoption of energy conservation practices and the promotion of energy-efficient technologies.
The minister explained that the establishment and operationalisation of the energy efficiency network will contribute to the government’s policy on the ‘promotion of energy efficiency in homes, industry and commerce, which is earmarked to generate an emission reduction of 1,899.3 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
That, he said, can be monetised under Ghana’s Article 6.2 and 6.4 framework to bring additional revenue to the industrial and commercial sectors.
Opoku Prempeh stressed the importance and need for continuous investments in renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) in Ghana.
He said the government is poised to make the industrial and commercial sector of this country very competitive.
Cost of Energy
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Seth Twum Akwaboah, said the increase in electricity tariff calls for other affordable and more sustainable alternatives for businesses to keep running.
The network, he said, would help to achieve that objective.
The establishment of the AGI energy service centre was to promote the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency among companies.
More efficiency in the usage of energy helps to reduce energy costs and cost of production, which helps businesses to become more competitive to capture a good share of both local and international market,” he said.
“This network has been formed so that companies that want to go solar or companies that want to go renewable will be able to work together to be able to share information and resources, and also harness opportunities in the system and facilitate the access to solar energy,” Mr Twum Akwaboah said.