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Tarzan Condemns Gov't Over Chinese Coal Plant Agreement

By Daily Guide
Business & Finance Tarzan Condemns Gov't Over Chinese Coal Plant Agreement
NOV 27, 2015 LISTEN

Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby, a former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Volta River Authority (VRA), has expressed worry about the recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the Ghana government and Chinese authorities to build a 1,000 megawatt coal-fired power generation plant in Ghana in the next few years.

According to Dr Wereko-Brobby, who is currently the Chief Policy Analyst of the Ghana Institute for Public Policy Options (GIPPO), such agreement was paradoxical because an official government delegation was expected to be part of about 50,000 delegates and protesters to the 21st session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 21 of UNFCC) in Paris come Monday, November 30, 2015.

He said participants from 195 countries (both developed and undeveloped) of the UNFCC, would be tasked to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, principally carbon dioxide.

Double standards
'So here we are, going to COP 21 with Ghana holding a position that it intends to emit substantial amounts of carbon dioxide, as its contribution to reducing GHGs in the coming years.

'The above is the tragic, incoherent and quite frankly shameful position that we are asking our illustrious leaders - President Mahama, former President Kufuor and Mr Kofi Annan – to have to answer for, as they seek to rally the whole world to accepting universal limits to the emission of carbon dioxide.

'No, Dr Kwabena Donkor, this is palpably untenable and must be put on hold without any ifs and buts.'

Gov't must pursue sensible choices
Even though Ghana faces a future where thermal power, rather than hydro, would become the major mix in Ghana's power generation, the right way to go was to pursue a sensible policy that would roll out more climate-friendly thermal and renewable technologies first before we look at oil and coal-powered generation, he said.

'We can and should do this because it is the sensible way to go, and more importantly we have ample time and internal resources to pursue such a policy.'

Current peak load
At present Ghana's peak load requirement is 2,000W, as against an installed generating capacity of 3,000 MW. This is double the normal reserve margin capacity for operation. Even without the ubiquitous power barges, VRA alone has contracted to between 1500-2000MW of gas/oil thermal plants over the next five years.

'This development alone would take our installed capacity to close to or beyond the 'magical' 5,000MW installed capacity mark.'

Effects of coal plants on Chinese
Dr Wereko-Brobby said with the Chinese coal plant agreement, Ghanaians stood the risk of contracting diseases.

'We have signed with China, where 4,000 citizens a day die from the smog effects of coal-powered generation for the past 25 years of uninhibited industrialization and growth.

'Now, China like us will not be exempt from having to reduce its own carbon footprint under any agreement that emerges out of COP21. It is already taking steps to do this by investing and becoming the largest producer of solar systems in the world. Sometimes, in my uncharitable moments, I cannot help but be cynical in thinking that China is seeking to get carbon credits for itself by exporting coal power technology to us.'

Ghanaian leaders to the COP21
President took part in the last major meeting held in Paris just one week before the IS massacre of Friday 13th November. Former President John Agyekum Kufuor is currently the UN Special Envoy on Climate Change. And last but not least, former United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, is Chairman of the Africa Progress Panel, which is championing renewable energy as the clean energy path to Africa's development. All three prominent citizens of Ghana will join US President Barrack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Hu Juntao, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moo and virtually every leader in Paris over two weeks for COP21.

'Ghana will by this have a strong presence in Paris and therefore the message that we deliver to COP 21 will need to be coherent and consistent with the stated aims and intended outcome of the conference.'

By Samuel Boadi

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