Ghana to produce electricity from cocoa husks

The Ghana Cocoa Processing Company (CPC) has revealed plans to produce electricity using cocoa husks and bean shells,  the company’s Public Relations Manager, James Francis Ekow Rhule, has confirmed to theghanareport.com.

He said the initiative is aimed at reducing the burden on the national grid to ease power generated by the Volta River Authority (VRA) and other Independent Power Producers (IPP) for uptake by other consumers.

CPC had announced an agreement with Captive Energy to produce four Megawatts to power its factory Tema, using power plants that will take about a year and a half to complete.

A Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) arrangement has been agreed with the Captive Energy.

The Managing Director of CPC, Nana Agyenim Boateng, disclosed the move during an interaction on Diaspora Weekly, a programme by the Diaspora Network Television (DNT).

The project will generate a guaranteed output of 3.5MW of electricity on a 24-hour basis, a minimum of 12 tons of steam per hour, hot water, and chiller (cold water including ice cubes) with the by-products being fertilizer and charcoal.

“The possibilities are exciting when you consider that Ghana produces roughly 800,000 metric tonnes of cocoa,” Nana Agyenim Boateng said.

In 2018/2019, Ghana is estimated to have produced about 812,000 tons of cocoa beans, a decrease from approximately 969 thousand tons in 2016/2017.

The project would enhance the recycling of tonnes of cocoa husks as biomass fuel feedstock after extraction of beans from the pods.

Captive Energy is expected to collaborate with Horus Energia of Poland and GP Green Energy of Austria to design, construct, install, and commission the project.

Captive Energy shall also procure acceptable financial instruments to meet the payment requirements of both Horus Energia and Green Energy of their scope.