Ghana recently introduced a corporate emissions reporting programme to better capture emissions from the electricity sector.

The programme, which was led by Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Energy Commission (EC) and developed with UNDP LECB’s support, trained mining and electricity production companies on carbon accounting techniques.

The GHG reporting programme is currently being piloted by the Volta River Authority (VRA), a state run power utility company and Ghana’s premier supplier of electricity.

The Volta River Authority (VRA) created its “Corporate Carbon Footprint Management Programme” as part of its Corporate Strategic Objectives and outlines VRA’s commitment to measure, monitor and decrease its carbon footprint. This will allow the company to gain a better understanding of exposure to climate risks, improve the environmental sustainability of its business model, ensure adherence to national and international environmental requirements, and help strengthen VRA’s green credentials in the marketplace. The programme thus embodies VRA’s intent to reduce its impact on the environment over the long-term.

With support from Ghana’s EC and EPA, VRA put together a 12-member in-house carbon accounting team (CAT) to oversee the regular compilation of its GHG inventory reports. So far, the CAT has met four times and has been working closely with the VRA staff to produce its first GHG inventory. Using the World Resources Institute’s Corporate Accounting Protocol, the report will cover emissions from 9 VRA power generation facilities - Akosombo, Akuse, Aboadze, Navrongo, Tema and Accra – during the period of 2012-2015.

It is expected that VRA’s pioneering move into carbon footprint reporting will entice other independent power producers (IPPs) operating in the country to follow suite.