US-based International Solar Utilities (ISU) is conducting feasibility studies at Akatakyi in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region for the construction of solar parks that would add 600 megawatts of power to the national electricity grid.

The construction of the solar parks is estimated at $750 million and would create about 2000 direct and 6000 indirect jobs.

The Chief Operating Officer of ISU, Mr James Brown, said ISU would initially construct a photovoltaic (PV) mono-crystalline solar panel factory at Tema and said work was expected to start in June. He said the factory would cost $85 million and that it would produce 820,000 highly efficient solar panels each year with manufacturing output of 300MW.

Mr Brown said the solar panel factory at Tema would feed the ISU’s utility scale solar parks at six sites in Western, Greater Accra and Central regions to generate a total of 600 MW of solar energy, which would be connected to the national grid to distribute electricity consistently throughout the country with the goal of 100% energy sustainability.

He said the company had already secured 800 acres of land at Akatakyi in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region for the construction of solar parks and said each solar park would occupy 400 acres of land that would generate 100MW of solar energy.

UK company, Blue  Energy, will also soon commence work on a 150 MW solar energy project in September this year.

The Mere Power Nzema when completed will be the biggest in Africa. Developers of the project are hoping to provide solar power  to over 100 thousand homes.