According to the one-time Minister of Energy and Petroleum, recent cases of shedding of load was evidence that the era of rolling power outages, known as dumsor, had returned.
He also referenced reports about the increased inability of state outlets in the power production and transmission ecosystem to meet their financial obligations.
"Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) is currently unable to fulfill its payment obligations to the West African Gas Pipeline, which is responsible for transporting gas from Takoradi to Tema for power generation.
"You can also track the ultimate problem to the weakest link in the value chain -ECG’s inability to pay off-takers," he added.
He tasked the government to come clean on the issue and the Ghana Grid Company to provide a timetable for the ongoing dumsor in order to help businesses and households to plan better.
#DumsorIsBack hashtag has been trending on Ghana's social media platforms with the president and his vice coming under stern critique for the state of affairs.
The power distributor, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has remained mute over the claims that dumsor had returned.
Read the MP's full post on the return of dumsor:
Ghana is currently grappling with a severe case of Load Shedding, commonly known as Dumsor.
The situation is evidently clear, with 500 MW of load being shed as of tonight, January 9th, 2024.
Numerous areas have been plunged into darkness due to the unavailability of gas to fuel thermal plants within the Tema enclave which can be attributed to financial constraints.
Specifically, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) is currently unable to fulfill its payment obligations to the West African Gas Pipeline, which is responsible for transporting gas from Takoradi to Tema for power generation. You can also track the ultimate problem to the weakest link in the value chain -ECG’s inability to pay off-takers.
Compounding the situation is the absence of a load-shedding timetable, which hampers households and businesses from planning accordingly.
The lack of transparency and communication regarding the power outage schedule only adds to the frustration and inconvenience experienced by the affected population.
It is worth highlighting that even during the worst periods of Dumsor in the past, the power outage never reached the 500 megawatts threshold currently being shed yet the media associated with the NPP interestingly see this as no “Dumsor.”
Their loud silence on the current situation is deafening.
The Ghana Grid Company must, as a matter of urgency, come out with a load-shedding timetable to allow households and businesses to plan better.
SARA
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