A Director of the African Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), Peter Amewu, has said the power crisis being experienced in Ghana cannot be solely attributed to the labour unrest in Nigeria.
According to him, the inability of the generation plants in Takoradi to function properly is also a ,contributing factor adding that, Ghana will continue to experience shortfalls in its power supply until the water level in the Akosombo dam rises up.
The commitment from the Nigerian government to ensure the continuous supply of gas to Ghana to operate its thermal power plants has been in question in recent months.
The situation was compounded after workers of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) embarked on a strike over their pensions.
Reports from Nigeria however indicate that the labour unrest in that country is likely to drag, meaning, Ghana will stay in darkness for a longer period.
The situation has forced the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to undertake a load shedding exercise while the Volta River Authority (VRA) has resorted to the use of light crude oil for electricity production.
[contextly_sidebar id=”l9sjEwJlmYLh7b1N4E2yDBlO7QBWHzpz”]Speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr. Amewu described the decision by the workers of the NNPC as unfortunate.
“There are difficulties that we have as a result of the low level of water we have in the Akosombo dam and the inability of the generation plants in Takoradi to function. We agree that Bui is totally out. One of the turbines at Akosombo as of yesterday is also down. In total we have almost about 600 megawatts of power that are totally out of the system now,” he remarked.
Offering solutions to the current problem, Mr. Amewu said government should have partnered with private gas providers to resolve the power crisis bedeviling the country.
By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana