While the ousted NPP administration has touted significant investments in the energy sector, including agreements to stabilise power generation and improve distribution infrastructure, it appears fears abound about potential power outages following growing concerns over fuel shortages for thermal plants and delays in pipeline maintenance by the West African Gas Pipeline Company.
However, a former Member of Parliament for Bongo and member of the energy technical team, Edward Bawa, has expressed confidence in the availability of adequate resources to mitigate any looming power crisis.
Potential challenges in securing crude oil for generator systems has sparked this concern. The West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo) on January 9 agreed to postpone its planned pipeline maintenance by two weeks, averting an imminent power crisis in Ghana.
This followed intense negotiations led by a technical committee established by Chief of Staff Julius Debrah to tackle the looming energy challenge.
GRIDCo has warned that ongoing fuel shortages for thermal plants, combined with disruption of gas supply from the pipeline, would severely cripple Ghana’s power generation capacity.
According to a report by Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), government urgently requires nearly US$90million to secure fuel for thermal power plants.
GRIDCo’s report highlights that the funds are needed to purchase liquid fuel – such as light crude oil – to keep thermal plants in Tema operational and meet rising electricity demand.
The crisis has been exacerbated by maintenance work on gas pipelines from Nigeria to Ghana by WAPCO – initially scheduled for October 2024 but postponed to January 2025 by the previous government. This delay left the system vulnerable to disruptions during the maintenance period.
The report warns that failure to act swiftly could lead to prolonged power outages, severely disrupting economic activities and public services.
But Mr. Bawa, acknowledging potential challenges in securing crude oil for generator systems, has assured of government’s dedication to ensuring an uninterrupted power supply.
