| Formation | 26 April 1961 |
|---|---|
| Type | Energy generator and supplier |
| Headquarters | Accra, Ghana |
Official language | English |
| Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa | |
| Website | http://www.vra.com/ |
The Volta River Authority (VRA) is the main generator and supplier of electricity in Ghana. They are also responsible for the maintenance of the hydro power supply plant. [1]
The VRA was established by the Volta River Development Act, Act 46 of the Republic of Ghana on 26 April 1961. [2]
The main purpose of the VRA is to generate and supply electricity for Ghana's needs. It is also responsible for managing the environmental impact of the creation of the Volta Lake on the towns and people bordering the lake. The VRA maintains a national energy supply grid and although it started with hydroelectric power, it is now branching into other types of energy such as thermal energy. [2] [3] The company represents Ghana in the West African Power Pool.
The Volta River is the main river system in the West African country of Ghana. It flows south into Ghana from the Bobo-Dioulasso highlands of Burkina Faso. The main parts of the river are the Black Volta, the White Volta, and the Red Volta. In the northwest, the Black Volta forms the international borders between the Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Burkina Faso. The Volta flows southward along the Akwapim-Togoland highlands, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean at the Gulf of Guinea at Ada Foah. One of its smaller tributaries, the Oti River, enters Ghana from Togo in the east. The Volta River has been dammed at Akosombo for generating hydroelectricity. The reservoir named Lake Volta stretches from Akosombo Dam in the south to the northern part of the country, and is the largest man-made reservoir by area in the world.
The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) is a nonprofit public utility created in November 1934 by the Texas Legislature. LCRA's mission is to enhance the lives of the Texans it serves through water stewardship, energy and community service. LCRA provides public power, manages the lower Colorado River, builds and operates transmission lines, owns public parks, and offers community services.
The British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority, operating as BC Hydro, is a Canadian electric utility in the province of British Columbia. It is the main electricity distributor, serving more than 4 million customers in most areas, with the exception of the City of New Westminster, where the city runs its own electrical department and portions of the West Kootenay, Okanagan, the Boundary Country and Similkameen regions, where FortisBC, a subsidiary of Fortis Inc. directly provides electric service to 213,000 customers and supplies municipally owned utilities in the same area. As a provincial Crown corporation, BC Hydro reports to the BC Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation, and is regulated by the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC). Its mandate is to generate, purchase, distribute and sell electricity.
The Akosombo Dam, also known as the Volta Dam, is a hydroelectric dam on the Volta River in southeastern Ghana in the Akosombo gorge and part of the Volta River Authority. The construction of the dam flooded part of the Volta River Basin and led to the subsequent creation of Lake Volta. Lake Volta is the largest man-made lake in the world by surface area. It covers 8,502 square kilometres (3,283 sq mi), which is 3.6% of Ghana's land area. With a volume of 148 cubic kilometers, Lake Volta is the world's third largest man-made lake by volume; the largest being Lake Kariba which contains 185 cubic kilometers of water.
Lake Volta, the largest artificial reservoir in the world based on surface area, is contained behind the Akosombo Dam which generates a substantial amount of Ghana's electricity. It is completely within the country of Ghana and has a surface area of 8,502 square kilometres. It extends from Akosombo in the south to the northern part of the country.
The Eastern Region is located in the Eastern part of Ghana and is one of the sixteen administrative regions of Ghana. Eastern region is bordered to the east by the Lake Volta, to the north by Bono East Region and Ashanti region, to the west by Ashanti region, to the south by Central region and Greater Accra Region. Akans are the dominant inhabitants and natives of Eastern region and Akan, Ewe, Krobo, Hausa and English are the main spoken languages. The capital town of Eastern Region is Koforidua.The Eastern region is the location of the Akosombo dam and the economy of the Eastern region is dominated by its high-capacity electricity generation. Eastern region covers an area of 19,323 square kilometres, which is about 8.1% of Ghana's total landform.
The Bui Dam is a 400-megawatt (540,000 hp) hydroelectric project in Ghana. It is built on the Black Volta river at the Bui Gorge, at the southern end of Bui National Park. The project was a collaboration between the government of Ghana and Sino Hydro, a Chinese state-owned construction company. Construction on the main dam began in December 2009. Its first generator was commissioned on 3 May 2013, and the dam was inaugurated in December of the same year.
Webuild SpA is an Italian industrial group specialising in construction and civil engineering. The company was formally founded in 2014 as the result of the merger by incorporation of Salini into Impregilo. Webuild is the largest Italian engineering and general contractor group and a global player in the construction sector.
Ghana generates electric power from hydropower, fossil-fuel, and renewable energy sources such as wind and solar energy. Electricity generation is one of the key factors in order to achieve the development of the Ghanaian national economy, with aggressive and rapid industrialization; Ghana's national electric energy consumption was 265 kilowatt hours per each one in 2009.
The Kpong Dam, also known as the Akuse Dam, is a hydroelectric power generating dam on the lower Volta River near Akuse in Ghana. It is owned and operated by Volta River Authority. It was constructed between 1977 and 1982. Its power station has a capacity of 148 megawatts (198,000 hp) with all four units running, though the total nameplate capacity is 160 megawatts (210,000 hp).
Hydroelectricity is, as of 2019, the second-largest renewable source of energy in both generation and nominal capacity in the United States. In 2021, hydroelectric power produced 31.5% of the total renewable electricity, and 6.3% of the total U.S. electricity.
The Ministry of Energy and Petroleum is the ministry in charge of extending and ensuring a continuous supply of energy and petroleum services to every division of the Ghanaian economy in an energy sufficient, environmentally friendly manner.
Akuse is a town in the Lower Manya Krobo district of the Eastern Region of Ghana situated between Tema and Akosombo.
The Osagyefo Barge is a 125 MW barge-mounted gas turbine electric power generating station located at Effasu in the Western Region of Ghana.
Kpone Thermal Power Station is a 230 MW (310,000 hp) gas-fired thermal power station in Ghana.
Navrongo Solar Power Station is a 2.5 MW (3,400 hp) solar power plant in Ghana.
Louis Casely-Hayford was a Ghanaian chartered engineer who served as the third CEO of the Volta River Authority (VRA) from 1980 to 1991. He was CEO of the VRA when the master-plan for extension of electricity to the northern parts of Ghana was conceived. He led the creation of the VRA Training School, which trained engineers, technicians and other disciplines needed to support the power sector of Ghana. Casely-Hayford also played monumental roles as CEO in the development of Kpong Power Project.
The Kaleo Power Station is a 13 MW (17,000 hp) solar power plant in Ghana. The solar farm is owned and was developed by the Volta River Authority, between February 2020 and August 2022. The power off-taker is GRIDCo, which integrates the electricity into the national grid.
The Akosombo Dam Spillage Flood is a riverine flood that occurred in the south-eastern part of Ghana. This is due to a controlled spillage of the Akosombo Dam and the Kpong Dam by the Volta River Authority to address rising water levels.
 Ministries and agencies in Ghana | |
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| Ministry of Interior | |
| Ministry of Education | |
| Ministry of Youth and Sports | |
| Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning | |
| Ministry of Trade and Industry | |
| Ministry of Health | |
| Ministry of Communication and Technology | |
| Ministry of Defence | |
| Ministry of Transport | |
| Ministry of Energy | |
| Ministry of Food and Agriculture | |
| Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation |
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| International | |
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| National | |
