3 Companies sign solar power contract

Miniplast Limited, a Ghana-based plastic manufacturing and recycling company, has signed a contract to buy electricity from a 704 kWp grid-tied solar photovoltaic plant that will be installed on their factory roofs at the Spintex Industrial Area in Accra.

The plant will be installed and operated by Stella Futura Limited under a Power Sales Agreement signed by the partners.

“The investment will be made through a local project company majority owned by Empower Invest, the impact investment fund managed by Empower New Energy (EmNEW).

“The scalable 704 kW solar PV installation, which is expected to be commissioned in July 2020, forms part of Miniplast’s sustainability initiatives to be more environmentally friendly and reduce plastic waste in Ghana,” a statement issued in Accra, said.

Contract

The statement added that through the renewable energy contract Miniplast, Stella and EmNEW would “contribute to the annual generation of over 1100 MWh of clean energy, with an estimated 800 tonnes of CO2 saved per year — equal to about 24 000 tonnes of CO2 during the first 30 years of operations”.

The statement said the investment would further generate about 50 jobs during construction and operation.

It quoted the Deputy Managing Director of Miniplast Limited, Mr Nadim Ghanem-Pares, as saying that “we are excited to install one of the largest industrial and commercial solar PV systems in Ghana. This project will not only lead to increased use of clean and reliable power, but it will also reduce our diesel consumption and lower our electricity costs. Furthermore, this will be a flagship project to promote the use of renewable energy within the Spintex Industrial enclave of Accra”.

Investment

“Miniplast Limited will continue its investment in plastic recycling. We installed a third recycling line at the factory in the beginning of February, increasing our capacity to become the largest plastic recycler in Ghana. Miniplast’s dedication to environmentally sustainable initiatives first started with the introduction of a wide range of products created with 100 per cent recycled materials to reduce the amount of plastic litter in communities, while also creating economic opportunities in lower income neighbourhoods,” the statement said.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Stella Futura Ghana Limited, Mr Francis Asante, the statement said, indicated that the contract demonstrated the company’s leadership in structuring solar solutions to ease the burden of solar energy uptake by the private sector.

He encouraged industry to take similar bold steps to incorporate solar technology into their energy consumption mix to reduce their reliance on the national grid, reduce energy costs, and contribute to a cleaner environment.

The CEO of Empower New Energy, Mr Terje Osmundsen, said the project was the result of a fruitful partnership between Miniplast as a forward-looking energy user, Stella as an innovative technology solution provider and EmNEW’s unique impact investment platform.

“By reducing the time and resources required to finance projects of this size, this project shows how our investment fund enables a faster uptake of local clean energy production in Sub-Saharan Africa,” the statement added.