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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