Volta River Authority
Encyclopedia
The Volta River Authority (VRA) is the main generator and supplier of electricity
in Ghana
.
The main purpose of the VRA is to generate and supply electricity for Ghana's needs. It is also responsible for managing the environmental impact of the creation of the Volta Lake on the towns and people bordering the lake. The VRA maintains a national energy supply grid and has although it started with hydroelectric power, it is now branching into other types of energy such as thermal energy
. The company represents Ghana in the West African Power Pool
.
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
in Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
.
Establishment
The VRA was established by the Volta River Development Act, Act 46 of the Republic of Ghana on April 26, 1961.The main purpose of the VRA is to generate and supply electricity for Ghana's needs. It is also responsible for managing the environmental impact of the creation of the Volta Lake on the towns and people bordering the lake. The VRA maintains a national energy supply grid and has although it started with hydroelectric power, it is now branching into other types of energy such as thermal energy
Thermal energy
Thermal energy is the part of the total internal energy of a thermodynamic system or sample of matter that results in the system's temperature....
. The company represents Ghana in the West African Power Pool
West African Power Pool
The West African Power Pool is a cooperation of the national electricity companies in Western Africa under the auspecies of the Economic Community of West African States . The members of WAPP are working for establishing a reliable power grid for the region and a common market for electricity. It...
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Power generation
- Akosombo DamAkosombo DamThe Akosombo Dam , is a hydroelectric dam on the Volta River in southeastern Ghana in the Akosombo gorge and part of the Volta River Authority. The construction of the dam flooded part of the Volta River Basin, and the subsequent creation of Lake Volta...
- Kpong DamKpong DamThe Kpong Dam is the second hydroelectric power generating dam in Ghana. It is owned and operated by Volta River Authority. The dam was introduced to supplement power production from Akosombo Dam, especially for the smelting of aluminium at VALCO in Tema....
- Takoradi Power StationTakoradi Power StationThe Takoradi Power Station is a thermal power station at Aboadze, east of Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana. It consists of three power plants.The first power plant operated by the Volta River Authority became operational in 1997. Official inauguration was held on 15 October 2000 in participation of...
- Tamale Power Station
Subsidiary companies
- Volta Hotel
- Volta Lake Transport Company (VLTC)
- Volta Teleccm Company Limited (VOLTACOM)