In July 2013, it was reported that the central government of Ghana proposed the construction of a coal-fired power plant with a cost of US$700 million to be built within 2.5 years and a new port adjacent to Aboano, a coastal fishing community in the Ekumfi district [1] [2]. The rise of coal power in Ghana is partly due to a lack of adequate power infrastructure as well as energy production capacity, as continuous blackouts and a lack of electricity for rural communities demonstrate. Over the years, the Ghanaian government has invested in hydroelectricity in an effort to contain the problem but the severe and prolonged drought that has hit the country has made electricity production drop [2]. 

In 2014, the feasibility studies were completed and the coal project was planned to be subsidized by China. A 1.5 billion dollar loan from the China African Development Fund would have led to the construction of the power plant and the port, to be used to import 2 million tonnes of South African coal per year [1] [2]. In September 2015, the Volta River Authority (VRA ) and Shenzhen said the power station would be 2,000 MW and may be established at Otuam in the Central region. The target date was 2019 [1][2]. In December 2015, VRA and Shenzhen released a pre-feasibility environmental and social impact assessment for phase I: 2x350MW supercritical coal plant, including an affiliated coal handling terminal [1][8].  

In response to this, the activists working with the local community prepared to challenge official assertions using several tactics. The activist Ezekiel calls it the “submarine approach”. “We came out of nowhere to bombard them from all angles—social media, press conferences, community forums”[3].  “The Ghanian government has signed the Paris Agreement, so this project was a major contradiction (with respect to the politics of emission reduction),” the Ghanian activist states in a video. 

Using the hashtag #coalkill, together with a group of activists he launched a campaign to counter the government’s message that energy from coal would be clean. The group began to work closely with local communities living near the site of the future plant, explaining the enormous health and environmental impacts that the structure would entail. It has provided small communities with alternative solutions, such as solar power kits, to bring electricity to the most remote villages [2]. The pressure from public opinion and local communities grew and on Oct. 10, 2016, Ghana’s Environmental Minister announced that the coal plant would not be built [1][2][3][7]. In 2020, Ghanaian activist Chibeze Ezekiel [6] was awarded the Goldman environmental prize for his efforts in halting the proposed coal power plant [9][10]. 

Aboano power station, Ghana of 700 MW (Units 1&2: 350 MW) capacity, using supercritical technology was planted to built-in Ekumfi Aboano, Ekumfi District, Central Region, Ghana. The project is sponsored by Sunon Asogli Power whose parent company is Shenzhen Energy Group, and Volta River Authority. Coal Source was to be imported from South Africa. The financial investment comes from China-Africa Development Fund (US$1.5 billion) [1]. Land Requirements would have included 270 hectares [11].