Minority lied; Government does not owe VRA - Sam Fletcher

Head of Corporate Communications at the Volta River Authority (VRA), Samuel Kwesi Fletcher, has debunked allegations by the Minority in Parliament that government owes VRA over US$400 million.

“I’m telling you, and you can quote me anywhere, the records are there to show, I can print the financial statement for you to see government does not owe VRA,” Fletcher stated Monday on Adom FM/Asempa FM’s “Burning Issues” Program.

The Minority Spokesperson on Energy, Hon. K.T. Hammond told journalists on Tuesday, government owes VRA up to US$400 million.

He noted that the energy sector has endangered other sectors of the economy because it is fraught with corruption, inefficiency, indecision, self-interest, as well as misguided and inappropriate policies.

But Fletcher said the Minority in Parliament is not up to date with facts on VRA, adding that the US$400 million quoted by the Minority is old news.

He explained that the government bought crude oil for VRA to offset that debt earlier this year.

Fletcher, however, noted that VRA is broke, and various projects are still hanging due to lack of funds to invest for the future, but that has nothing to do with government owing VRA.

He said the operational cost of VRA can be reduced if some of the burden is shifted onto the consumer by making consumers pay the right tariff for power.

Meanwhile, Hon. K.T. Hammond, who is also MP for Adansi Asokwa described Fletcher’s claims as revealing and surprising.

He says the NPP administration supported the VRA monthly to procure light crude oil for its operations, but the NDC government stopped the support when they came to power.

The MP also said in four years, the NDC government has added only two megawatts of solar power to the country’s energy stock despite their campaign promise to add more megawatts to the power sector.