Wilkins Engineering Is in Search of Partners for Solar PV Projects in Ivory Coast

Interview with Kofi Frimpong, Sales and Marketing Manager of Wilkins Engineering

What have been the major developments when it comes to Ghana’s engineering and electricity?

You can definitely see some major improvements and upgrades being conducted by all the players in the industry from the main generators to GRIDCo and to ECG. GRIDCo for example have issued out some tenders because they have been able to secure some funding for upgrading their networks and even extending their transmission lines which will improve power delivery in the country. You can see now that ECG, which is the main distributor of electricity in the country, is undergoing a process of getting their assets to be managed by a private entity. This is a step that began in 2015 but is now in full force; 6 companies are in the tendering process at the moment. We hope by the end of this year, those 6 companies will have placed their proposals and that by the end of 2018, we will see a real change in the electricity distribution market.

What is the feeling coming from the new government? What is their approach for sustainable electricity?

The current government I must say has a drive for renewables, I have heard comments made by people in power about increasing solar energy, starting by having the government buildings powered by solar energy. We know that will definitely bring a reduction in the general pool of power that is being provided by other entities. Besides, solar energy, the new government is still committed to the national electrification scheme, and they are continuing with projects under this policy; one can tell that they are trying to extend the grid. There are also power projects that are ongoing like the turbo power plants for example the combined cycle plant. So there is definitely a strong effort from the current government to go ahead with the power projects.

In two years we should have established our presence in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Nigeria.

In 2015 we spoke of power shortage being the most important issue to be looked at and tackled, what would you say are the most pressing issues and challenges right now?

The shortage issues have been tackled because there were some immediate solutions proposed by the government that just left and so there has been some stability on the grid nationwide but in the long term what the country needs are more sustainable plants. For sustainability we are looking at more solar power plants as currently we have a maximum of about 25 megawatts nationwide that is feeding into the grid. When we have more development in PV technology in the country, you will see that it will be a game changer because in countries where they have PV energy generating a greater amount of energy there is much more stability because the reliance on diesel generators or thermal plants is reduced. Night time is the peak moment in Ghana so you can use less energy during the day from PV and then at night you can use that energy.

What are the latest projects that Wilkins Engineering, Ghana’s world-class engineering company, been working on?

I wouldn’t say that Wilkins Engineering has changed its main focus, but we have focused a lot more on PV projects. Because of the introduction of the net metering code, we are able to provide grid-connected systems for commercial users. We have hotels and other businesses that want to run their day time load directly from PV. Because this is a capital intensive project, especially in Ghana because most of the components are shipped in, you find that the initial set up cost is a bit heavy for most commercial players but we have been able to secure funds in order to be able to lease out the equipment. We do it on a lease to own basis, from between 3 to 5 years, for hotels and other businesses that want systems ranging from 50 kilowatts to a maximum of 1 megawatt. We are able to provide these systems on a 3 to 5 year lease to own payment option. These companies are taking them up and we are able to cut down their electricity consumption/cost.

Could you talk about your presence in other countries in West Africa?

We are still present in other markets. In Liberia for example there have been new contracts that we have signed for the extension of the grid and in Ivory Coast we are there for the solar market. Currently we are just entering the Nigerian market, but for now that is solely for commercial solar systems.

Recently we have had projects in the ROC also for the extension of their grid but I can´t talk about it much as we are just entering the East African market or Central African market. We have plans because we know that there a lot of projects currently being done especially in East Africa. Africa has the lowest access to electricity in the world so there is a lot of development going on, projects that need money…

When we meet again in 2 years’ time, what would you like to have achieved by then?

In two years from today we should have established our presence in these markets that I have mentioned in West Africa: in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Nigeria. We hope to have increased our presence in providing our services from PV to grid distribution. That is what we should have achieved.

And probably the key determinant for this are your partnerships, yes?

We hope to increase our projects by partnering and also by providing more quality services and thus increasing our finances so that we can do more work in these various markets.

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