I don't foresee a return to ‘dumsor’ - Deputy Energy minister insists

Egyapa Mercer says government is on top of issues regarding Ghana's energy supply and demand

Govt is investing to increase Ghana's power supply - Egyapa Mercer

'Dumsor' is imminent if urgent steps are not taken – former power minister

Deputy Energy Minister, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, has refuted suggestions that Ghana will soon return to the dreaded days of irregular power supply, termed 'dumsor'.

According to him, the government is on top of issues regarding the country's power supply and demand, myjoyonline.com reports.

Egyapa Mercer said that agencies responsible for determining Ghana's power supply needs are working, adding that the government is continuously investing in the country's energy sector to ensure that the country's power needs are met.

"I do not foresee that we are going to have 'dumsor' anytime soon. I do not foresee that the conversations that are actually ongoing today will lead to 'dumsor' anytime within the foreseeable future… the Energy Commission has a demand forecast system that projects additional power generation that the government, from time to time, ought to add to the generation mix.

"We are following that [power generation mix] strictly and will ensure that there are no gaps that would lead to deficiency in our generational capacity that could result in lack of electricity for our consumers. That I can assure you is what we are doing," he is quoted to have said.

The deputy minister was reacting to assertions of some Ghanaians, including Former Power Minister Dr. Kwabena Donkor and his deputy, John Adu Jinapor, that Ghana might soon return to the days of 'dumsor' if the government does not take urgent steps.

According to them, the crisis might resurface again because the current government has not added significantly to the country's energy generation capacity even though the demand for electricity keeps on increasing significantly.

Also, a research analyst at the Institute of Energy Security (IES), Fritz Moses, has stated that the current tariffs being paid by Ghanaians are not enough to sustain Ghana's electricity production and distribution.

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has recently submitted a proposal to the Public Utility Regulatory Commission asking the commission for a 148 per cent increase in electricity tariffs for it to be able to run efficiently.

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