VRA CEO wins 2022 Energy Personality of Year at 2022 GEA

Ing. Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa, the Chief Executive of the Volta River Authority (VRA), has for the third consecutive time emerged the Energy Personality of the Year at the 2022 Ghana Energy Awards held Friday, November 25, in Accra.

Having secured the title in 2018 and 2021, he beat 12 other strong competitors to claim the most coveted spot of the night, which was presented to him by His Excellency the Vice President of the Republic, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia. He also took home the Visionary Leadership Award.

With over 30 years in the power industry business, the head of the nation’s premier utility has overseen several programmes that are diversifying the country’s energy portfolio from high hydro and thermal reliance to include solar, wind, and other forms of renewable energy.

Under his leadership, the VRA has expanded its generation capacity with the construction and development of the 19.5MWp solar project in Kaleo / Lawra and the $993 million Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam Project which includes a 60MW hydroelectric power plant and 50MW solar power plant.

The Kaleo Solar plant, which is the Authority’s third grid-connected solar power plant in the country, will not only increase Ghana’s generation capacity by 13MWp, but will also help improve the quality of power supply in the Upper West Region and reduce national carbon emissions by about 3,400 tons of CO2 per annum.

Meanwhile, the VRA has digitalized its operating processes in various areas including; the adoption of modern communications software that allows for virtual meetings within the organizations at various locations, thus curtailing excessive vehicular movements and cutting down on pollution.

Further, the Authority has a Digitalization and Innovation Project that aims to convert Akosombo township into a smart city.

VRA has also established the “Akosombo Plastic Waste Processing & Recycling Centre” for the segregation and processing of plastic bottles within the Akosombo enclave and its environs, as well as a Waste Paper Recycling drive that has reduced appreciably the number of tissue papers used at the Authority.

A corporate environmental policy statement by the Chief Executive also makes environmental considerations a priority in all business planning and decisions. It enjoins VRA to take responsible steps to mitigate the negative impact of its actions in line with the global climate change agenda.

Under the Authority’s Carbon Footprint Management Programme (CFMP) also, Ing. Antwi-Darkwa has been leading VRA in regular measurements and publishing of its greenhouse gases.

The organization is further planning the inclusion of electric vehicles into its fleet, especially EV buses to aid staff mobility in the Akuse, Akosombo, Accra, and Aboadze locations, and further reduce their carbon footprints.

The Volta River Authority was also presented with the Excellence in Power Generation award for its diversified and efficient processes in power production.

Organized by the Ghana Energy Media Group, in partnership with GP Business Consulting, the 6th Ghana Energy Awards was under the theme, “Global Decarbonisation: A Just and Equitable Energy Transition in Ghana.”