Wiliam Owuraku Aidoo has described Ghanaians sharing their views on the current worsening energy situation in the country as balderdash.
The Deputy Energy Minister’s patience was stretched on April Fool’s Day, when the side of the government was sought on the erratic power supply nationwide.
Opposing views were that the government was broke, thus, its inability to buy fuel to power the barges to generate electricity.
For instance, the Executive Director of Energy Think Thank, Africa Centre Energy Policy (ACEP), Benjamin Boakye, said on Joy FM Monday, April 1, 2019, that government does not have money to buy fuel.
He urged the government to come clear on the matter and publish a power rationing timetable.
However, at a news conference at the Ministry of Energy today, Deputy Minister for Energy in charge of Power, William Owuraku Aidoo, said in a rather strong word: “The claim that government doesn’t have money is absolute balderdash.”
Then, he explained that the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant needed to be shutdown enable Ghana Gas complete the final tie-in works under the Takoradi-Tema Interconnection Project.
The engineering works is scheduled to last 12 days, when Ghana would lose about 300MW from the national grid, and result in interruptions in power supply.
That notwithstanding, he explained that the government has made arrangements for alternative fuel to power the plants, saying that the country has enough fuel in TOR tanks.
He called for calm, saying that “the tie-in of Atuabo Gas Pipeline interconnectivity with West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAGPCO) is to the benefit of Ghanaians.”
When the project is completed, gas would be transported from the Western Region for utilisation in Tema.
Story by Umar Sheriff / awakenewsonline.com
