Ministry of Energy facilitates production of eco-friendly cookstoves

A project to manufacture and distribute 500,000 eco-friendly cookstoves within the next 12-months has begun.

The project is an initiation of the Ministry of Energy and is facilitated by the Climate Change Centre (CCC) in Korea and funded by a South Korean company, Korea East-West Power Corporation.

It is targeted at reducing global greenhouse gas emissions and aimed also at mitigating global climate change.

The carbon dioxide emissions from the cookstoves will be ceded to meet Korea’s carbon dioxide emission footprint.

Under the project, local companies will produce the cook stoves based on specifications and standards and send them to the Ministry of Energy for assessment and distribution.

The project forms part of the international initiative to help solve the problem of climate change and help achieve the sustainable development goals.

How it works

The Deputy Director of Renewable Energy at the Ministry of Energy, Mr Seth Agbeve Mahu, said the government entered into agreement with the CCC in 2018 under the United Nations Clean Development System (CDS) programme under which the project was initiated.

The project, estimated at US5.5million, will cover an implementation period of five years after which it is expected to be scaled up.

The 500,000 improved clean stoves would be distributed freely across all districts in the country.

Mr Mahu explained that the cookstoves are made of cast iron and ceramic material with charcoal as the fuel. He said the cookstove design was similar to the ‘Gya Pa’ stove already existing on the market.

He said the improved clean stove had a life span of three years at minimum and five years at maximum.

Due to the materials used for the stove, he noted that the efficiency level set for the cookstove was 30 per cent - 40 per cent.

To track the cookstoves and avoid duplications, he said they would be identified with unique codes and linked to Global Positioning System (GPS).

Benefits

Touching on the benefits of the improved clean stove, he stated that health of families would improve as the biomass combustion in the household would decrease.

Additionally, Mr Mahu said the initiative would help to reduce deforestation and the loss of biodiversity and increase carbon absorption and help to save fuel purchase costs.

The initiative would also provide jobs for Ghanaians who would be employed to manufacture, install, maintain and distribute the stoves during the term of the project.

Korea’s commitment

The Vice President of Korea East West Power Corporation, Mr Kwon O Chul, called for effective cooperation and support from the Ministry of Energy and all the partners involved in the project.

He pledged the company’s commitment to ensure that the project was delivered smoothly and efficiently.

The Team Manager of CCC, Ms Lee Jung-Hyun said climate change was real and that its impact had resulted in major losses in infrastructure, animals and even human lives.

“Climate change considers no boundaries, it affects everyone regardless of race, gender, age and country. This may be the biggest challenge of our generation,” she stated.

She indicated that climate change was not caused by big factories and major industries only but by everyone which was why everyone must, therefore, help to solve it.