Former Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah has called on the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to as a matter of urgency release a load-shedding timetable.
He said Ghana is currently grappling with a severe case of Load Shedding, commonly known as Dumsor so releasing load-shedding timetable will allow households and businesses to plan better.
“Compounding the situation is the absence of a load-shedding timetable, which hampers households and businesses from planning accordingly. The lack of transparency and communication regarding the power outage schedule only adds to the frustration and inconvenience experienced by the affected population.” He said.
His comment comes after the Electricity Company of Ghana, (ECG) served notice to undertake planned maintenance to enhance service delivery scheduled on Wednesday, January 10, 2024, between 8 am and 5 pm.
The affected areas are Achimota, Taifa, Achimota Brewery Company, Instyle Industries, IKAM, Asene Household, Neoplan, Tantra Hill, Dome, Abofu, Apenkwan, Nii Boye Town, Chantan and Paraku Estates.
The darkness has sparked a lot of reaction on various social media platforms.
Commenting on this, the Member of Parliament for Ellembelle constituency in a statement stated that numerous areas have been plunged into darkness due to the unavailability of gas to fuel thermal plants within the Tema enclave which can be attributed to financial constraints.
“The Ghana Grid Company must, as a matter of urgency, come out with a load-shedding timetable to allow households and businesses to plan better.”
“Specifically, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) is currently unable to fulfill its payment obligations to the West African Gas Pipeline, which is responsible for transporting gas from Takoradi to Tema for power generation. You can also track the ultimate problem to the weakest link in the value chain -ECG’s inability to pay off-takers.” Kofi Buah said in a statement released on his X account.
READ THE FULL STATEMENT BELOW
Ghana is currently grappling with a severe case of Load Shedding, commonly known as Dumsor. The situation is evidently clear, with 500 MW of load being shed as of tonight, January 9th, 2024.
Numerous areas have been plunged into darkness due to the unavailability of gas to fuel thermal plants within the Tema enclave which can be attributed to financial constraints.
Specifically, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) is currently unable to fulfill its payment obligations to the West African Gas Pipeline, which is responsible for transporting gas from Takoradi to Tema for power generation. You can also track the ultimate problem to the weakest link in the value chain -ECG’s inability to pay off-takers.
Compounding the situation is the absence of a load-shedding timetable, which hampers households and businesses from planning accordingly. The lack of transparency and communication regarding the power outage schedule only adds to the frustration and inconvenience experienced by the affected population.
It is worth highlighting that even during the worst periods of Dumsor in the past, the power outage never reached the 500 megawatts threshold currently being shed yet the media associated with the NPP interestingly see this as no “Dumsor.”
Their loud silence on the current situation is deafening.
The Ghana Grid Company must, as a matter of urgency, come out with a load-shedding timetable to allow households and businesses to plan better.
Source: Elvisanokyenews.com
