The Ministry of Energy has refuted claims made by the Parliamentary Minority about the country’s energy condition.
The Minority in Parliament chastised the government at a press conference on Wednesday, April 28, 2021, for its contradictory communications on the ongoing power issues, which have resulted in sporadic power cuts in sections of the country.
John Jinapor, the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Mines and Energy Committee, claimed that the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) intended to publish a load shedding schedule for the country but was prevented by the government.
“What’s more concerning is that, considering GRIDCo’s announcement a couple of weeks ago that the nation will continue to suffer these power outages for the near future, for which they vowed to publish a load control plan, the expected schedule has been placed on pause due to Executive political pressure.”
He also encouraged the government to be forthright about the true source of the country’s power problems.
However, the Energy Ministry has refuted the allegations.
In a comment, the Ministry stated: “For the record, there has been no nationwide load shedding in the country, nor has there been any attempt to initiate one, as there is no need.” Certain ongoing developments in Accra and Kasoa, for example, will necessitate power outages for many days. The Pokuase schedule has been published, running from May 10 to May 17th, 2021. That of Kasoa has not yet been published and will be done so after all requisite arrangements and discussions with related stakeholders have been completed.”
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“These outages are being carried out solely to enable contractors to link their work to established transmission lines. As a result, it is misleading to claim, as the Minority in Parliament has, that political coercion was used to prevent the publication of a load shedding schedule,” the statement continued.
Additionally, the Ministry related the “intermittent outages in some areas of the country” to the following:
- In Kumasi, feeder outages have occurred as a result of low water levels in the Bui Dam enclave. Bui is a peaking plant that provides transmission facilities to the Ashanti, Bono, and Northern regions of Ghana. Bui is critical since it is capable of energizing the low voltage electricity supplied from the south to Ashanti and the north).
- Obuasi-Prestea Transmission lines trip, resulting in the complete shutdown of the grid (the line that tripped has an effect on neighboring lines. This resulted in a reduction in production and a device shutdown).
- Upstream gas movement constraints — resulting from constraints in the WAPCo supply chain.
- Ghana Gas has confirmed compressor faults.
- Localised outages in the delivery chain.
The Energy Ministry assured that, considering inherent difficulties in the transmission and distribution facets of the power sector, the government and its developmental partners such as MCC, Siemens, and AFD have placed systematic measures in motion to ensure the country’s reliable power supply.
SOURCE: ATLFMONLINE
