The government is set to significantly expand Ghana’s electricity generation capacity through the construction of a 1,450-megawatt (MW) thermal power plant and a 600MW solar facility, both of which will be wholly owned by the state.
The projects are expected to strengthen electricity supply, support industrial expansion and reduce the country’s dependence on expensive emergency power arrangements.
Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson announced the plans during an interview on JoyNews’ PM Express on Thursday, November 12, 2026.
According to him, construction of the thermal power plant at Ekafudzidzi in the Central Region is expected to commence in December 2026, with the government committed to financing the project without resorting to borrowing.
Dr Forson said the facility would be developed in two phases, with the first 600MW expected to become available by the fourth quarter of 2028, while the remaining 850MW is projected to come on stream by the third quarter of 2030.
“We are going to ensure that we have our own power plant. We are building a 1,450-megawatt thermal power plant,” he stated.
He explained that the additional generation capacity would enable the country to gradually phase out emergency power plants by December 2030.
The thermal facility will require approximately 150 million standard cubic feet of natural gas daily to operate at full capacity, with supplies expected from the Sankofa and Jubilee oil and gas fields.
As part of efforts to diversify the country’s energy mix, the government will also establish a 600MW solar power facility supported by a battery storage system with a capacity of 2,000 megawatt-hours.
The battery system is expected to store excess electricity generated during daylight hours for use when solar production declines and demand increases, particularly during peak consumption periods. It is also intended to improve stability and reliability across the national grid.
Dr Forson said the planned investments were necessary to provide the dependable and affordable electricity required to support energy-intensive industries, including bauxite and manganese processing, steel production, cement manufacturing and agro-processing.
He maintained that Ghana’s industrial transformation ambitions would be difficult to achieve without sufficient and reliable power supply.
“Energy capacity is economic capacity. It powers growth, jobs, and prosperity,” he said.
US$500 Million Investment in Transmission Infrastructure
Beyond expanding generation capacity, the government plans to invest US$500 million between 2027 and 2030 to upgrade the country’s electricity transmission network and reduce technical and commercial losses.
The investment will cover improvements to the north-south transmission corridor, connections between new power generation facilities and major consumption centres, as well as infrastructure to facilitate electricity trading with neighbouring countries.
It will also support reliable electricity connections to strategic industrial zones expected to play a significant role in Ghana’s manufacturing and processing agenda.
On electricity distribution, Dr Forson announced plans to install two million prepaid meters to address distribution losses and improve revenue collection across the power sector.
The government is also targeting the full implementation of performance-based private sector participation in electricity distribution by the end of 2027.
The proposed interventions form part of a broader strategy to improve efficiency across the electricity value chain, strengthen energy security and provide the infrastructure needed to support industrialisation and the government’s 24-hour economy initiative.
