First solar plant to be inaugurated by President Mahama today

President John Mahama will on Thursday inaugurate the country's first solar power plant to be integrated into the national grid at Navrongo in the Upper East Region. The two mega watts power plant is a part of government's renewable energy programme. A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency on Thursday said President Mahama in his State of the Nation Address in February, announced that: "we are progressing steadily in to the era of renewable energy". The statement said that the distribution of solar powered lamps as promised in the State of the Nation address had already begun. It said government has also deployed some 10,000 units of solar home systems to off-grid homes in deprived communities, some national security areas and basic schools. �A 315 kilowatts solar plant has also been completed by government for the Noguchi Memorial Institute at Legon with support from the Japan International Co-operation Agency and solar power is expected to augment the energy requirements of the Institute. �Thursday's inauguration of the 2MW solar power plant is, however, the first large scale power plant, constructed by the Volta River Authority to be fed into the national grid. �It will be a major boost to government's renewal energy plan as it prepares to also focus on wind, biomass and waste for energy,� the statement said. It said government has a target of 5000MW of generated capacity by 2016 and President Mahama, in the wake of the energy challenges, has worked in the last four months to ensure a stabilisation and gradual normalisation of the situation.