Ghana Gas CEO, Dr Benjamin Asante has attempted to offer some explanations to the recent power outages and power sector challenges that has been experienced for the past weeks.
Dr Asante noted that the challenges are due to the shutting down of the Atuabo Gas to allow for some interconnection works to be done from Tarkoradi to Tama.
The works on the project he disclosed has been ongoing for the past three weeks with the intention of rolling out a partial shutdown but circumstances has compelled them to fully shut down the plant for the next 10-12 days.
The CEO of Ghana Gas stressed that the situation will improve greatly should the works be completed and is hopeful that it will be completed on schedule.
Residents of several parts of the country have complained about spate of lights going off popularly called, “dumsor”.
This has caused heightened disaffection among the populace particularly with the erratic nature of power supply without notice.
Addressing these concerns at a media briefing, Dr Benjamin Asante detailed “we are looking at interconnecting WAPCO’s system to Ghana Gas system. Why are we doing that? Essentially to be able to take some of the surplus or residual gas in the west, you are all aware that we have a lot of gas in the west, more than what our generation facilities can actually take. So we intend to take any surplus gas that is resident in the west through that interconnection and through WAPCO system to the east where the gas supply to describe it generously is anemic. East reference is Tema and West is Tarkoradi. Those are the two critical load centers in the country in terms power generation.”
This explanation has been challenged by some energy experts and Think Tanks in the energy sector who believe that the issue is due to financial challenges.
Energy expert at African Center for Energy Policy (ACEP) believes the challenges is due to government’s inability to generate enough funds to pay for fuel to power the plants.
He insists it is about time government admitted that the consistent power outages is a mark of dumsor which was experienced during the erstwhile Mahama administration.
Buttressing his position, Kojo Poku, renowned energy expert has tasked government to focus on resolving the issues confronting the sector in its early stages before it goes out of hand.
He believes there is more to it than what the government wants us to believe but the best way forward is to act since the consumer and Ghanaian is at the end of the challenges.
“In the last couple of weeks, some of us who are experts in the industry, looking at the infrastructure that was put in place, looking at the installed capacity that we installed in the country, it will be difficult to go back to the situation in 2012, 2013 there about but events of the last couple of days some of us have had to change our minds to think that it is still possible to go back to the era where parts of the country will not be having lights for certain number of days” he remarked.
By: Jonah Eledi/awakenewsonline.com
