Ghana is not facing an energy crisis – Energy Minister

On Wednesday, June 19, 2024, the Minister of Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, showcased his expertise in finding sustainable solutions to Ghana's energy needs when he addressed questions from Minority Members of Parliament (MPs) regarding power rationing and electricity cuts that some parts of the country experienced a couple of weeks ago.

Dr. Prempeh, affectionately known as Napo, informed legislators at a plenary sitting that the energy sector under his leadership had not plunged into a crisis that would warrant load-shedding due to power outages.

He clarified that the power outages experienced two months ago were not the result of a power crisis but rather unforeseen factors such as rapid population growth and increased business setups.

For example, Dr. Prempeh pointed out that areas like East Legon, initially planned as residential districts, have evolved into business hubs, overloading the existing power lines and transformers.

This surge in demand, coupled with an unexpected gas leak at Cen Power that resulted in an instant power loss of 340 Mega Watts, and maintenance at the Amandi Power Plant, led to power outages. GRIDCo also requested emergency outages in some areas, further exacerbating the situation.

These incidents were unplanned, making it impossible for the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to announce a scheduled load-shedding program, he emphasized.

"Mr. Speaker, a myriad of factors caused power outages in different parts of the country at different times. The ECG couldn't have announced a load-shedding program because most incidents were unplanned," he noted.

Dr. Prempeh made these remarks in response to an urgent question from the NDC MP for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Etse Dafeamekpor, on behalf of the absent NDC MP for Tamale North, Alhassan S. Suhuyini. Dafeamekpor inquired whether the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) had been load-shedding power and, if not, why the power outages occurred.

Despite providing clarity, some Minority MPs pressed for more information on the current power situation, as the original question referred to the situation two months prior. Dr. Prempeh reiterated that the ECG is not undertaking a scheduled load-shedding program but will address any challenges that arise to ensure stable power distribution.