How Stable Is Our Power Supply?

At a joint press briefing organised by the Energy Ministry, Volta River Authority (VRA), the Ghana Gas Company Limited (Ghana Gas), the Ghana Grid Company Limited (Gridco) and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in Accra last Monday, Energy Minister, Peter John Amewu, told the entire country that all obstacles that hindered regular supply of power in the past one week have been fixed.

AND so for the above reason, the minister went on to give a firm assurance that there was absolutely no cause for alarm so far as ‘dumsor’ (scheduled load shedding) was concerned.

“I want to state categorically that everything is under control and the country is nowhere near the dumsor that was experienced some years back,” he averred.

FOR us at Today, the minister’s assurance is refreshingly a good piece of news.  Definitely, it will assuage the building-up fear of a looming dumsor being anticipated by an appreciable number of Ghanaians in the past few weeks.

HOWEVER, in the wake of the recent intermittent power outages across the country, many Ghanaians are having cause to worry, with some attributing the situation to a looming dumsor.

THANKFULLY, the energy minister has clarified that we are nowhere near another excruciating dumsor era.

AS we try to hold Minister Amewu to his assurance, the fact still remains that all is not well with our energy sector.  The sector is still laden with a huge debt which we are struggling to pay each year.

AND in compounding matters in the energy sector we continue to sign new contracts and contract loan facilities to pay off our huge energy debt, which situation is not helping matters.

IN the view of Today it is imperative that the central government explains to Ghanaians the real situation of our energy sector.  And it should be done in such a transparent manner to solicit our help if that becomes necessary.

THE posture of governments in this country pretending that all is well when indeed that is not the reality on the ground must cease!  Indeed, that does not help us as a people.

THE truth of the matter is that we cannot bear the brunt of another dumsor.  Thus, the Akufo-Addo administration must do what is necessary to ensure that Ghanaians get regularly supply of power.