Barely two weeks after sealing a gas supply deal with Russian oil giant, Gasprom, the Ghanaian government is now partnering with Israeli company Yam Pro Energy to generate renewable energy from ocean waves.
The project will be situated on the coastline of Ghana’s capital Accra, Face2Face Africa reported.
The Israeli group is confident that it can use its innovative technology to find the right solution to the West African country’s energy crisis by exploiting the crashing ocean waves to generate hydraulic pressure that can easily be turned into electricity.
The power plant is expected to generate at least 1,000MW per day, which will go a long way in addressing the energy crisis in the country.
Yam Pro Energy’s CEO, Zeev Peretz said “We negotiated [with Ghana] for many years, but in the end we succeeded. The demand [for energy] is very big and I think it will help people (improve) their life”
The plant, which is currently in construction phase, will consist of floaters connected to wave breakers spread across the Ghanaian coastline, Face2Face Africa explained.
The floaters are designed to push up and down when the ocean waves crash in, enabling power turbines to roll and produce hydraulic pressure. Read more…
It is reported that the company has already obtained a power purchase agreement from the Electricity Company of Ghana.
The Israel-based company has assured residents that all safety concerns have been taken into consideration.
On the question of the long-term performance of the plant, the firm says it has put in place mechanisms that will ensure the necessary maintenance services are conducted frequently to guarantee maximum performance.
Continuing, Peretz said “We don’t have to send scuba divers or boats out. All the maintenance is from the land, so we just put floaters up and you [can] do whatever you need to do [then] put them back down”.
