Government has announced plans to start producing solar batteries locally following the discovery of lithium in the country.
The Deputy Minister of Energy, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, who made this known at the Africa Energy Conference 2022 in Accra, said government’s intent to manufacture solar-powered batteries is purely targeted at revenue generation, boosting industrialization and promoting renewable energy.
“The opportunity for industrial and commercial ventures into the renewable market has the potential for revenue generation, job creation, and energy security enhancement,” he said.
Lithium is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal, mostly used in the production of rechargeable batteries for mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras, and electric vehicles. Lithium is also used in some non-rechargeable batteries for things like toys and clocks. It is among the top 10 most expensive minerals in the world.
In Ghana, the first West African lithium-producing country, lithium has been discovered in commercial quantities in the Volta, Western, and Ashanti regions.
The global demand for lithium has gone from 263,000 metric tons in 2019 to 559,000 metric tons in 2022 because it is one of the crucial minerals required for producing EV batteries.
This demand is expected to rise to over 1 million metric tonnes by 2025.
However, there is vast untapped potential for the mineral in Ghana, hence, the government’s decision to leverage the discovery to boost the economy.
“Ghana’s recent discovery of high grade lithium is an achievement that the government intends to leverage on in exploring the real possibility of manufacturing solar batteries locally,” Mr Agyapa Mercer said.
News of Ghana’s lithium discovery broke in 2018. It was hailed as a significant achievement that will help the country’s electric vehicle manufacturing industry.
The discovery, according to the Mineral’s Commission, was made during a nationwide exploration. It is estimated that Ghana can generate about $4.8 billion from the mining of Lithium.
Source: The Independent Ghana