atmosfair, an environmental organisation offering carbon offsetting, and Sustainology, a Ghanaian environmental initiative, are launching a novel biogas plant in Akuse that will supply up to 40 households with climate-friendly cooking gas. Akuse is situated on the Volta, a few kilometres south of the Akosombo Dam.

The pilot plant can be assembled quickly thanks to its prefabricated construction. Unlike conventional biogas plants, no elaborate concrete structures are required. It processes 1.4 tonnes of organic residues daily — from food processing, cattle dung, or the invasive water hyacinth — producing up to 60 cubic metres of biogas, which is then transported directly to households in balloon-like containers by Sustainology staff. There it is used for cooking, meaning that no costly pipeline infrastructure is required either.

The plant reduces the CO₂ burden by 190 tonnes per year through the replacement of fossil fuels and wood. In addition, it captures the methane emissions that would otherwise arise from the open disposal of organic waste.

What remains is a nutrient-rich digestate that can be used as fertiliser, replacing the need to purchase chemical fertilisers. This saves money for the farmers using it and avoids the greenhouse gases produced in the manufacture of artificial fertiliser. Alongside the large quantities of cattle dung generated by farms in Akuse, the use of water hyacinth is a particularly noteworthy aspect. Considered a major environmental problem in Ghana, it proliferates so extensively in the Volta and other waterways that it poses a threat to fish stocks, depriving the water of oxygen and light. In the biogas plant, it becomes an energy source — a doubly positive effect.

Should the plant prove its worth, atmosfair and Sustainology intend to build ten further plants in the region and aim to expand the model across Ghana.