Amidst the recent intermittent power outages experienced in parts of the country, the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) is calling on the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) to step in to compel the power distributor to provide clear answers to Ghanaians.
This call from the energy think tank comes on the back of the erratic power supply in many parts of the country. Small businesses and industries that rely on constant power supply are bemoaning the impact of the situation on their operations.
While some are losing their customers, others are spending huge sums of money to pay for alternative power supply.
To be able to plan their activities, some individuals and households as well as other stakeholders have begun demanding a load shedding timetable.
Despite the experiences of households and businesses, the Minister for Energy, John Abdulai Jinapor insists there is no load shedding.
The minister on Friday afternoon insisted that as far as he knows there is enough fuel supply to keep the lights on hence dismissing the demands for a timetable. The minister further indicated that Ghana’s has enough power supply to the extent that about 300 megawatts are being expected to neighbouring countries.
“Today, let me put on record that we are not shedding load, and so the demand by the minority and some people that we publish a load-shedding timetable is mute. We are exporting about 300 megawatts of power outside Ghana to Burkina Faso, to Benin and to other neighboring countries, and so when you have enough, and you are exporting power, obviously there will be no need to publish load shedding timetable,” the Energy Minister told the media on Friday.
But in an interview with The High Street Journal, Policy Lead for Petroleum and Conventional Energy at ACEP, Kodzo Yaotse expressed frustration over the disparity between the Minister’s stance and the experiences Ghanaians are facing.
To address the situation, Kodzo Yaotse urged the industry regulator, the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) to step in and demand accountability from ECG.
He referenced a similar situation last year when ECG attributed power outages to transformer issues. However, PURC’s independent investigation revealed otherwise, exposing the dishonesty of ECG.
“The minister did indicate this afternoon that we are not shedding load. In fact, he stressed that we are exporting about 300 megawatts of power to our neighbouring countries. If that is the case, then we need answers, because the lived realities of the Ghanaian people show that we don’t have consistent power supply. I mean, people have slept in darkness, businesses have to use their generators to generate power for themselves,” Kodzo Yaotse recounted to The High Street Journal.
“We need answers and that would mean that the regulator, which is the PURC, will have to compel the distributor, in this case ECG, to provide answers as to why the minister says we are not shedding load, but people are not having light. We call on the PURC to do that with immediate effect,” he added.
Given the ongoing power crisis, ACEP is demanding immediate intervention from PURC to ensure transparency and provide relief to Ghanaians. The uncertainty surrounding Ghana’s actual fuel supply and generation capacity deepens public anxiety.
With businesses incurring higher operational costs due to power disruptions and households struggling to cope, the pressure is mounting on ECG and PURC to address the situation.
