Ghana suspend power export to neighbouring kontris - Wetin be di implication?

Ghana don dey suffer wetin dem call ‘dumsor’ for several weeks.

‘Dumsor’ na local term for power crisis for di kontri wia plenti pipo neva dey get electricity.

Alreadi, pipo dia business and oda pesin don dey suffer.

Na so president Akufo-Addo don order say make Ghana suspend di export of electricity to neighbouring kontris.

For many decades, Ghana don dey supply electricity to Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso.

Dis kontris go suffer for dis latest decision by Ghana goment, but some sabi pipo tok say dis na necessary to deal wit di crisis.

Oga of di energy committee for parliament, Samuel Atta Akyea, don tok say di president give di order “in di interest of di Ghanaian pipo.”

“Di president get di nation for heart, wey evritin im dey do, dey for di benefit of di kontri.”

Im add say “dis be sane argument say make we withhold supply of electricity to Togo and Ivory Coast, in order to retain di power for domestic use.”

Oga Atta Akyea tok say dis decision fit get consequences but di priority be di Ghanaian pipo.

“Our committee go meet all di energy sector players for di value chain over di directive,” im tok.

For more dan a month, pipo neva dey get light for dia homes and businesses.

Some areas fit dey inside darkness for days and nights, as pipo don dey ask di electricity company to provide power shedding timetable.

Pipo for Accra, Kumasi, Koforidua, Tamale, Takoradi, Ho and oda places dey suffer di power outages.

But energy minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, don tok say di electricity company neva go release timetable for di pipo sake of e neva be necessary.

Im tok journalists for one event say “pipo wey dey ask for power rationing timetable dey wish bad for di kontri".

Di goment don deny many times say di kontri neva dey inside power crisis.

Dem explain say na minor issue wit some of di transformers.

But di power outage don last for months.

Ghana grid company tok some of wetin dey cause di power crisis

For one report, di Ghana grid company (GRIDco) tok say dem export 10.7 percent of power to Benin, Togo, Cote D’ivoire and Burkina Faso for 2023.

Di grid company give more gist say between 27 March - 2 April dis na di energy situation

- total installed capacity - 5,626 megawatts

- total available capacity - 3,251 megawatts

- units unavailable due to maintenance - 740 megawatts

- units unavailable due to inadequate fuel supply - 1,455 megawatts

Apart from dis, di kontri get four thermal plants wia for generate 595 megawatts.

But dis thermal plants dey offline sake of inadequate fuel supply.

Apart from dat, one fault for one of di plants dey cause 120 megawatts unavailable, wia im go dey unavailable until December 2024.

Dis go affect di power generation capacity of di kontri.

Dis problems don cause di president im decision to suspend di export of power.

Wetin go be di impact of di president im decision

Some ogbonge pipo don raise concern about dis directive.

For parliament, some members for di energy committee tok say dis suspension fit to cause judgement debt.

According to dem, dis agreement to supply electricity to di neighbouring kontris be contract wey dey run for more dan twenty years.

Na so any decision to stop di export go fit lead to problems for Ghana.

Anoda reason be say di foreign exchange wey Ghana fit get from dis neighbouring kontris neva go come once dem stop di supply.

Edward Bawa, member of di energy committee of parliament tok say di Volta River Authority (VRA) wey dey generate power dey struggle wit moni issues.

“Di only reason VRA dey fit pay im workers be from di foreign exchange from di energy export.”

Im add say “VRA dey fit meet dia overhead cost also thru dis foreign exchange so dis decision not to export, go worry.”

Ogbonge energy experts say dis suspension of power export neva go solve di ‘dumsor’ problem.

One of dem na Richmond Rockson.

Im tok say di Ghana Grid company (GRIDco), VRA and electricity company of Ghana (ECG) and oda stakeholders gatz discuss wit di neighbouring kontris why dis decision dey necessary.

“If dis conversation no happun, Ghana fit end up paying judgment debt sake of we no fit meet di contract wit dis kontris.”

Im add say “goment gatz find moni to buy gas to generate di power for di kontri".