Some mining companies have had to shut down heavy equipment and mills in a bid to save power remain in business.
[contextly_sidebar id=”Fhi8yWtd0a1sEgETNVNngb2d22xOY0b5″]Due to the unstable power supply, mining companies such as Golden Star Resources are using industrial generators; a situation they say has pushed up the cost of production.
In an interview with Citi Business News, Group Corporate and Public Affairs Manager of Golden Star Ltd, Gerard Boakye said should the power situation linger for long, heavy machines will have to be shut down to save power
“If we consume a certain amount of power, we have to reduce it, in areas where we cannot reduce consumption, we will have to shut down some equipment so that we will be able to run the most important ones,’’ said Mr Boakye.
Per a directive from government and the Ghana Chamber of Mines, mining companies were to shed about 30 percent of their power from an initial 25 percent agreed on.
Mining companies have already adhered to this but the resultant effect is worrying as operational and production cost is higher than before
Mr Boakye speaking on what the company intends to do as a long term measure stated that if the situation persists, “we will have to specifically look at our operations and see what we have to do to ensure that our operations are sustainable but in the short term, machinery and plants that will not be critical in our production will have to be shut down.’’
By: Lorrencia Nkrumah/citifmonline.com/Ghana