We will keep the lights on – Energy Minister assures amid high power consumption in December

The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Dr John Abdulai Jinapor, has assured Ghanaians of a stable power supply despite the national grid reaching a record peak demand, especially as we are in the festive period.

The minister gave this assurance today while addressing participants at a health walk organised by the Ministry in collaboration with its agencies under the theme: “Recharge, Refocus and Reconnect.”

"Let me assure the people of Ghana that those of us in the Ministry will continue to work very hard, very challenging, but so far we are holding on, we are making significant improvements, and we will continue to work to deliver on our mandate," Jinapor said.

Acknowledging the challenge posed by surging energy consumption, Dr. Jinapor revealed that the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) recorded an all-time high generation peak of approximately 4,300 megawatts.

“We are seeing a huge increase in terms of energy consumption.

And that also presents a challenge. It means that we have to work very hard to sustain the lights and keep the lights on,” Jinapor said.

He stressed that the Ministry and its allied agencies would have to double their efforts to ensure a reliable power supply.

This includes not only managing the immediate grid pressure but also strengthening production in the petroleum sector and rolling out renewable energy projects to reduce the long-term burden on the national system.

Jinapor directly addressed the legal professionals from the sector who participated in the walk, highlighting their role. “And so I want to call on you, the lawyers in particular, you would always review all our contracts, ensure that the negotiations go very, very well, and so I want to encourage you to give your best and to work very hard.”

The health walk, which saw participation from legal staff of the Ministry and its agencies, was praised by the Minister as a good initiative for networking and well-being.

He proposed making it a quarterly, sector-wide event to promote greater interaction among energy sector workers.

Concluding his address, the minister issued a firm reassurance to the public: “Let me assure the people of Ghana that those of us in the Ministry will continue to work very hard… We are making improvements and will continue to work to deliver on our mandate.”