Off-peak load shedding has ended - Mahama

President John Mahama has promised that there will be no more load shedding during off-peak hours.

He said at this year’s National Prayer and Thanksgiving Service at the Independence Square in Accra that: “From today [Sunday April 7, 2013], there will be no off-peak load shedding”.


Off-peak is often during the day time when power consumption is not at its maximum.


The President also said the load shedding during the peak hours will be reduced considerably.


“At peak hours, load shedding will be limited to only 80 megawatts”, he told the Service.


The load shedding programme started with about 250 megawatts shortfall in supply.

It came about when the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP), the main gas supply for private power producer Sunon-Asogli, got ruptured in August last year.


It resulted in a gas cut to the 200 megawatt capacity Plant.


President Mahama however said the shortfall has been considerably reduced.


“We have been working round the clock to narrow this gab in terms of our power generation and I’m happy to say that we have narrowed it currently to a load shedding of 80 megawatts and I’m certain that by the end of this month, we’d have overcome this challenge and Ghana will never see this kind of darkness again”.


As part of efforts to narrow the gap further, President Mahama said: “Monday April 8, 2013, I leave for Aboadze to cut the sod for commencement of work on the steam unit of the TICO Thermal plant”.

He said: “I’ll also officially commission the 130 megawatts T3 Plant whose construction we started in 2010 and is now complete”.


He added that: “I’ll continue to Atuabo in the Western region to inspect progress of the gas processing plant which I look forward to commissioning at the end of the year”.


The plant is expected to make Ghana self-reliant in gas supply for its power production.