Tossou was addressing the Chairman of Sunon Asogli Power Plant, Mr. Qun Yang, recently during a courtesy visit to the power plant in Kpone, Greater Accra Region, Ghana.
He noted that electricity production is vital to the viability of the market, and ERERA has approved critical documents for the development of the regional power market, adding that they will also be conducive to investments in the energy sector.
Approved documents include the Regional Electricity Market Procedures for the West African Power Pool (WAPP), the WAPP Operation Manual, the Tariff Methodology for Regional Transmission Cost and Tariff, the WAPP Regional Market Rules, as well as the WAPP Transmission Service Access and Use Procedures (WTSAUP), which describes the conditions and procedures for access as well as use and payment of transmission services in the electricity market.
ERERA has also secured the approval of strategic documents such as the Directive on the Organization of the Regional Electricity Market. The Directive provides for Member States to amend their laws to allow for open access to the transmission network, as well as provide for third-party access to eligible customers on the other hand.
Tossou commended Asogli Power Plant, which is a member of the West African Power Pool, for its investments in West Africa and its high efficiency in power generation.
Earlier, the Chairman of Asogli Power Plant, Qun Yang, stated his company’s interest in the regional power market and its expansion plans to contribute to the success of the market. Among others, the proposed plants will cover Liberia, Senegal and Sierra Leone.
According to a presentation to the ERERA delegation, the company has a 560 megawatts combined-cycle natural gas power plant in Ghana and contributes 15 per cent of the natural electricity supply in Ghana. It has also “maintained an extra-ordinary safety record.
Accompanying the Chairman of ERERA were Regulatory Council Member, Dr Haliru Dikko, the Head of Administration and Finance, Mr. Ofosuhene Apenteng-Takyiako, and Communication Officer, Mr. Uwem Thompson.
Sunon Asogli Power Plant officials present during the visit were the company’s Business Development Manager, Dr Elikplim Kwabla Apetorkpor and Head of the Commerce and Marketing Department, Mr. Kanglin Will Li.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister of Energy of Ghana, William Owuraku Aidoo, has reiterated Ghana’s support for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA).
Aidoo, while receiving an ERERA delegation led by its Chairman, Mr. Laurent Tossou, at the Ministry of Energy in Accra said his country’s mandate of developing the regional electricity market remains sacrosanct.
Describing ERERA as critical to energy supply and security in the ECOWAS, Aidoo stated that Ghana was deeply interested in the regional power market.
Decrying the current status of trade in electricity in the region, the Deputy Minister called on ECOWAS Member States to embrace the pooling of power resources and explore the many advantages of the regional market, which among others, will help increase efficiency and lower tariffs for consumers.
Following ERERA’s request to help facilitate its headquarters, Mr. Aidoo stated that the Ministry of Energy would accompany the regional regulator in the process of securing its building, including assisting in ensuring a conducive working environment for its staff.
Speaking earlier, Mr. Tossou requested the support of Ghana, as a strategic partner, to help with the facilitation of the launch of the second phase of the regional electricity market.
He also informed the minister of the next ERERA Regulatory Forum, which has been scheduled to take place in June 2023 in Niamey, the capital of Niger.
The forum is a platform for discussions among regulators and all stakeholders in the electricity sector in West Africa on current issues concerning energy security and the electricity market in West Africa.
According to Mr. Tossou, the forum would be preceded by a meeting of ECOWAS Ministers of Energy in Niamey.
