Power generation through coal would be suicidal to Ghana’s future-350 G-ROC
350 Ghana Reducing our Carbon (350), a climate
change activist group and members of the CSOs anti-coal campaigners
in the country are making a strong case
against government’s bid to collaborate
with a Chinese company towards the establishment of a coal
plant in the country to provide
sufficient energy to meet the country’s increasing power demand.
The groups at a press conference on Tuesday, September 27, 2016 raised the red flag on government’s intention to establish the proposed coal plant saying
coal has severe negative environmental,
health, and social impact on humans therefore it should be abolished.
Volta River Authority (VRA) in
January this year, announced
government’s plan to collaborate with the Shenzhen Energy Group Co.,
Ltd. of China (SEC) to develop a 2×350MW super-critical coal-fired generating
units including affiliated coal handling terminal, at Ekumfi in the Central
Region.
The
proposed project is expected to include two units of 350 megawatts, and a
subsidiary coal port with a 50,000-tonne berth as a terminal to receive coal
from overseas and transmit it to the plant.
But
speaking in an interview with Awake News, Coordinator
for 350 G-ROC, Chibeze Ezekiel stressed that generating power through
coal “would be suicidal to the future of Ghana.”
He wondered why countries like US and
China are backing out from coal and rather embracing better renewable energy alternatives
like the sunlight, wind, biogas which are available and natural to harness
energy.
“If Rwanda (a war-torn nation)
is excelling in the use of renewable energies to generate electricity, what
then is the excuse of Ghana”? he
asked.
“Ghana must stop the coal dream
and aggressively purse renewables as seen occurring in countries”, he added.
Chibeze has therefore called on government to
stop the coal dream and focus on renewable energies as better alternatives
which are more efficient and job promising for the youth.
The groups
among other assertions have also questioned the VRA’s clean coal technology claim
describing it as a ‘myth’ saying there’s no such technology and challenged VRA
to come out clearly and show examples of the said technology.
They have
also threatened legal action against government
if it failed to rescind on its decision to establish the proposed coal plant.
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