Ghana is likely to face power supply challenges within the next two years if the current government fails to take any remedial measures to avert it.
This is according to Dr Kwabena Donkor, a former Ghana’s Minister for Power under the National Democratic Congress-led administration.
“This country is likely to face load shedding in the next two years if urgent steps are not taken from this moment to increase our power generation,” Dr Kwabena Donkor cautioned in a report filed by parliamentnews360.com
While expressing his fears about the power sector, the former Minister advised that “we encourage and finance Volta River Authority (VRA) to put on additional thermal plant or we contract the private sector (IPPs) to increase their thermal capacity, otherwise, there is no other way.”
In his view, the West African nation was dangerously close to matching peak demand with available power supply just a couple of weeks ago in February when power consumption in the country surged to its highest peak.
“On the 15th of February 2022, our peak power demand was 3,343 Megawatts, on that day, our available power was 3,527 Megawatts. We had a surplus of only 180 Megawatts. So, we were dangerously close to matching peak demand with total available supply,” he explained.
He observed that the situation confronting the nation in its power sector demands urgent national attention and he felt he owed it as a duty to caution the government since he was in charge as the minister during the country’s last severe power challenges.
“I happen to have been the Minister in charge of power when this country went through a very tremendous period in terms of power supply. Today, we are gradually creeping into a situation that if I don’t draw the nation’s attention, I would not have been doing my diligent duty to the people of Ghana,” he said.
Dr Kwabena Donkor, therefore, urged the government of President Akufo Addo to take urgent steps to increase the country’s generation capacity immediately by setting up new power plants in order not to create power shortage challenges for the next government in case there is a change in Government.
“It is possible there would be a new government in the next three years and the retort will be that these people have come again and there is load shedding. But load shedding would have come out of our inaction today and that is why I am drawing attention because our inaction today will create a load shedding tomorrow,” he further observed.
Ghana’s total installed capacity for existing plants is 5,134 Megawatt (MW), with a dependable capacity of 4,710 MW.
Source: energynewsafrica.com