The Mahama administration has being urged to act immediately by the Institute for Energy Security (IES), which has issued a grim warning about an imminent power crisis known as “dumsor.”
This comes after Yapei Kusawgu Member of Parliament John Abdulai Jinapor expressed worries, pointing to a serious fuel scarcity as the primary reason of the impending crisis.
Jinapor stated that Ghana’s gasoline supply is currently critically low, with only five hours of petroleum left, following President John Dramani Mahama’s inauguration in Accra on Tuesday, January 7, 2024.
He blamed the departing government for not obtaining enough fuel, which put the incoming administration in a precarious situation.
In support of these assertions, Nana Amoasi VII, Executive Director of the Institute for Energy Security (IES), emphasised in an interview on Eyewitness News on Citi FM the precarious condition of Ghana’s electricity sector.
He emphasised the urgent need for reforms to avoid extended power outages and blamed the problem on structural inefficiencies and inadequate planning.
To resolve the issue and stabilise the nation’s electricity supply, the IES and other interested parties are urging swift action.
It’s not something we didn’t anticipate. As space observers, we were well aware that our power industry was extremely weak due to structural inefficiencies, including inadequate planning, said Nana Amoasi VII.
He underlined how the nation is vulnerable to possible power outages due to its reliance on natural gas and its inadequate backup or liquid fuel supply.
We are more dependent on natural gas these days, but thankfully, practically every plant in Ghana—aside from the hydro and solar ones—can also run on liquid fuel. However, he clarified, “We knew that we could be exposed at some point because we don’t have any backup or adequate stock of liquid fuel.”
Nana Amoasi VII was disappointed that no plans for lifting or purchase were put on place during the transition to guarantee a steady supply of electricity.
“Unfortunately, our checks show that we don’t have enough liquid fuel to give us that reliance and assurance that we won’t have any shock in power supply,” he continued. “We were expecting that some sort of lifting or procurement would have been made as part of the transition arrangement to ensure that there is no gap left within the space.”
In order to solve the impending catastrophe, the IES Executive Director urged the current administration to act immediately.
Therefore, we will urge the men in charge to return to work and begin working as soon as possible today. Otherwise, we’re pretty much exposed,” he said.
