World Bank debunks guarantee claims to IPPs in ‘dumsor’ era

The World Bank has debunked reports that it provided financing or guarantees to the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) that signed Power Purchase Agreements with the Government of Ghana or the Electricity Company of Ghana during the energy crisis (dumsor) in 2014-2016.

In a statement, the World Bank however said it supports the Energy Sector Recovery Plan (ESRP) of the Government of Ghana for affordable and reliable electricity supply and enhance accountability in the energy sector.

“Following recent media reports, the World Bank wishes to clarify that it has not provided any financing or guarantees to the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) that signed Power Purchase Agreements with the Government of Ghana or the Electricity Company of Ghana during the (Dumsor) energy crisis in 2014-2016”, it pointed out.

The ESRP mandates the rationalization of gas and power purchase costs in line with the demand and approves the procurement of energy supply and service contracts in a competitive manner.

The implementation of this policy [ESRP] the World Bank said will be essential to ensure that new power generation capacity is procured competitively and transparently based on the most cost-effective basis. This will prevent a recurrence of over-supply of generation capacity in future.

The World Bank Group rather provided financing and a guarantee to the Sankofa Gas Project, which since 2019 has increased the availability of natural gas for power generation by leveraging private capital investment and promoting a cleaner energy mix.

The statement concluded saying “the World Bank is committed to supporting Ghana in its efforts to sustain economic growth, accelerate poverty reduction, and enhance shared prosperity in a sustainable manner.”