The Executive Director of the Institute for Energy Security (IES), Nana Amoasi VII, says Ghana is likely to experience more outages in the coming days.
He said the recent outages, commonly known as ‘dumsor,’ are a result of financial challenges
In 2019, an International Energy Association report noted that half of Ghana’s electricity came from hydropower, 30% from domestically produced gas and 23% from oil.
Ghana’s hydro-wealth includes an installed capacity of 1,580 megawatts of energy from three dams: Akosombo, Kpong and Bui, which account for roughly 54% of its total electricity generating capacity.
The completion of the Bui Dam by Chinese contractors in 2013 was intended to offset poor access. Additional thermal plants constructed since 2017 should have improved disparities in electricity delivery. Thermal plants draw from steam power that is generated by burning oil, liquid natural gas and coal.
The Deputy Minority Leader, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has strongly criticized the government in the wake of recent power outages, describing its apparent silence on the matter as deafening.
Some areas in Accra on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, experienced intermittent power supply, while other areas have also been experiencing a similar fate for months.
Reacting to the disturbing occurrence, the MP for Ellembele, expressed displeasure at the government’s failure to give Ghanaians an explanation of the situation.
He called on the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) to issue a load-shedding timetable to allow households and businesses to plan.
Nana Amoasi VII, disclosed that the government has failed to pay some key players in the energy sector, including the West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo), leading to the erratic power cuts.
He indicated that the plants for electricity are ready to work; however, the fuel, which is natural gas, to be fed into the plant to function effectively, has been the challenge.
He further indicated that if the government fails to generate funds to pay all the partners involved in the electricity sector, the country may experience more outages.
George Osei-Akoto (Teacher Kojo)/ Ahotoronline.com
