Karpowership Ghana: Achieving Power Generation Through Floating Power Plants

Interview with Volkan Buyukbicer, Country Manager of Karpowership Ghana Company Limited

What are the current trends in the energy sector in the region?

The region is very endowed with rich natural resources and has many emerging nations as such there is an increased demand for energy to accelerate economic growth. Additionally, the rate of accessibility to electricity in the region is quite low as many people, especially those living in rural areas, do not have access to electricity thereby impeding their access to basic amenities for their livelihood. That is why our company is aligned with the global vision of the sustainable development goals to invest in the region to improve the energy trend as we know it, thereby accelerating human development.

Which country needs the most in the region? Where are the potential countries that show a major need and opportunity for your company or others to enter?

Currently, we have 15 Powerships which have been completed, with a total capacity of 2,800 megawatts.

Electricity is the backbone of every economy. The entire region is growing exponentially as compared to the developed world as the African continent is young and endowed with natural resources. For instance, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire are the two biggest exporters of cocoa in the world. Guinea is responsible for more than 95 percent of Africa’s bauxite production, while Ghana accounts for the remainder, just to mention a few. This makes the entire region a potential for power companies such as Karadeniz to invest and supply the much needed electricity to accelerate industrial production and economic growth. The lack of reliable and affordable electricity makes the region unattractive to investors. As such, the availability of reliable and affordable electricity is key in attracting the much needed foreign investors to this region.

What is the need here in Ghana in terms of energy? Is there still the potential for growth?

Today, Ghana has enough power generation to meet its most basic needs. A big potential can be producing excess electricity that will be used to meet the neighbouring countries’ electricity needs.

Do you play a role in the export process?

Our primary goal is to continue providing uninterrupted reliable electricity to Ghana for the duration of our project. If other opportunities arise, we will then consider how to act upon without jeopardizing our production in Ghana.

What are your competitive advantages?

Since Powerships are floating power plants, we have the opportunity of mobility.

Our Powerships are equipped with dual fuel engines that can run with either natural gas or HFO.

Our engines are highly efficient and reliable. Since we began operations in Ghana we have become the most reliable power producer.

What we have achieved is a power generation solution that eliminates financing, construction, deconstruction and execution risks. We ensured that our technology can meet the demands of numerous countries by equipping them with flexible voltage outputs, drafts, capacity, and size. We decided to turn to innovation after completing and operating many land based power plants. We wanted to find a solution that would address the major needs of any public and private utilities. We deliver a turnkey project to countries, where we undertake mobilization, site preparation, operation and maintenance.

Where land based power plants occupy an area at least 3 to 4 times the area a Powership of similar capacity would, they also have a negative impact on the city traffic caused by load carrying trucks, cranes and heavy machinery and carries a completion and construction risks because of the long construction periods. Powerships do not carry any of these risks.

There is a construction and also the deconstruction cost on both ends.

Unlike land based power plants any construction/deconstruction cost of a Powership that may occur will not affect the customer at all.

Can you also operate on rivers or seas?

We can operate on river and seas. If there is accessibility to the sea and our engineers deem the area to be suitable enough to put the Powership there, it can be done.

What fuel are you using here in Ghana?

Currently we use HFO, heavy fuel oil. But our Powership can operate on natural gas as well. We are relocating our Powership to the western area of Ghana in order to utilize the Sankofa gas which is a natural resource of Ghana.

There are new ways of using energy now, such as renewable energy. How do you compete with them?

Renewable energy plants are more environmentally friendly as compared to thermal plants. However, every grid needs a reliable base load and in today’s world majority of that base load is derived from thermal plants… In terms of having a secure and reliable source of power, thermal plants have a competitive advantage. The initial source of power for most countries on the continent was hydroelectric power that capitalized of fast flowing rivers. However, due to the unpredictable nature of the weather, alternative sources had to be added to ensure reliable energy for economic growth. For instance, the Akosombo dam was the first major source of power, but due to unfavorable weather patterns the country continually suffered from the chronic shortage of power dubbed “Dumsor”.

What are your short-term plans for the company here in Ghana?

The government of Ghana has engaged Karpowership to utilise indigenous gas from the western enclave in its bid to strengthen the energy sector. Thus, our short-term plans are the relocation of the 450MW Powership from Tema to Sekondi Takoradi.

Will the move happen this year?

We would relocate the 450MW Powership which is currently moored in Tema to the Sekondi Naval base hopefully by the end of this year in order to utilise indigenous natural gas resources in the Western enclave.

What is your medium-term vision, especially to develop the company regionally?

Currently, we have 15 Powerships which have been completed, with a total capacity of 2,800 megawatts. There are approximately 5,000 megawatts in the construction pipeline…

Which countries are you planning on moving into?

As a company we are considering all countries that have energy deficiencies.

What CSR activities are you involved in?

CSR is very important to us as a company. We believe not only in producing reliable and uninterrupted electricity, but we believe in investing in communities we operate in. Our mission as a company is to contribute to humanity and raise the standard of living with our “One World” philosophy and thats what drives us in investing in CSR projects. Our CSR projects are focused in three areas: education, community investment and environmental sustainability. We believe education is one major tool that can help change the world. That is why we mostly focus on education which is very important in today’s Africa and today’s world. It is a long-term investment. Since we are a long-term player in the market, it is perfectly in line with our goals.

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