Ben Boakye, the Executive Director of the Africa Center for Energy Policy (ACEP), expressed his belief that the letter sent by the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) to the Minister of Energy regarding the Electricity Company of Ghana’s (ECG) lack of load-shedding timetable is an attempt to shift blame away from GRIDCo.
The letter, dated March 28 and addressed to Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, raised concerns about ECG’s failure to adhere to load-shedding instructions from the National System Control Center (NSCC).
During an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show on Citi FM, Ben Boakye discussed the contents of GRIDCo’s letter with host Bernard Avle on April 5.
Boakye suggested that the purpose of the letter was for GRIDCo to officially distance itself from the ongoing power crisis by highlighting the challenges in the power sector.
“GRIDCo is aware of the generational gap in the power sector and all other stakeholders are aware of the challenges affecting the sector so the letter to the Energy Minister is to officially take itself out of what is happening in the sector because the gas to generate the power is not enough.”
He emphasized that the insufficient gas supply for power generation contributes to the crisis and implied that GRIDCo seeks to absolve itself of responsibility through the letter to the Energy Minister.
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In its correspondence, GRIDCo pointed out ECG’s non-compliance with the NSCC instructions as a significant risk to the power grid’s stability.
The letter highlighted instances where ECG’s failure to adhere to directives resulted in a decrease in system frequency in certain areas, posing challenges to the overall power supply system.
Ben Boakye also raised concerns about the potential financial impact of the current power challenges on ECG’s revenue streams.
He mentioned that Burkinabe authorities have informed their citizens about the power difficulties and are contemplating installing a power plant, a move that could negatively affect Ghana’s power system if implemented.
“Burkinabe authorities communicated recently about the power challenges to their people and said they are considering getting a power plant which will be a shoot in our foot.”
Boakye indicated that such actions could worsen the existing power crisis in the region.
Source: Comfort Sweety Hayford/ATLFMNEWS
