Bui Dam to last only six months if…

An energy expert has warned that the Bui Dam, which is in its final phase of completion, will break down within six months if government is going to use all the energy it generates. Dr John Peter-Amewu, Energy Policy Analyst at the Africa Center for Energy Policy (ACEP), said if all the 400MW of power from the Bui Dam is utilized, it is going to break down.

He sounded this warning on TV3’s current affairs programme Agenda on Thursday. Dr Amewu advised that government should rather channel effort into liberalizing the energy sector from generation to distribution. The Energy expert has noted earlier on TV3 that the Bui Dam is a regulatory dam. “It will produce 400MW, which will be regulated at 30 – 50 per cent,” Dr Amewu said on Headlines last month.

He pointed out that the Bui Dam feeds the Akosombo Dam, which he said is bigger and so if all the energy is utilized it will break down within six months. The country is facing power crisis but government assures the situation will normalize with the completion of the Bui Dam and the West Africa Gas Pipeline Project. The Asogli Power Plant is also expected to augment the power reserves of the country.

Last Sunday, President John Dramani Mahama announced during the National Prayer and Thanksgiving Service at the Black Stars Square that off-peak outages have been scrapped as a result of the completion of the Takoradi Thermal 3 Plant. He also assured that the energy crisis will be over by May.

Dr Amewu, however, observed Ghanaians deserved power at all times and even if there should be changes to the load-shedding schedule, peak periods should be given priority. "The power should be on when you and I need it not when we don't need it."