Editorial: The Power Crises -A Real Mess

Subsequent to what appeared to be a temporary power rationing to ease pressure off the sources of electricity supplies to meet the country’s energy requirements, Ghanaians have now come face to face with what obviously is a national energy crisis.

The fact that not even the assurances of the President, to the Parliament of Ghana over a month ago that the problem was going to be over within two weeks of his address, had materialized is a clear indication that we have not fully appreciated the depth of the problem confronting us.

Incidentally, Nigeria which was billed to come to Ghana’s aid with the supply of some amount of power in our time of crisis are themselves faced with electricity shortfall, and therefore unable to meet their own domestic requirements.

Again, listening to the Energy Minister on radio last week, one gathered that the problem confronting us has gone from bad to worse, and the shut down of the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO) notwithstanding, the problem seems to be far from over.

There is no doubt that the re-opening of VALCO itself accelerated the energy supply difficulties to its current crisis level. It is our hope that in taking decisions such as the acquisition of VALCO, Government would at all times do a proper and genuine appraisal so that it does not compound existing problems that we may have.

Even though there have been attempts over the years to get on stream the Bui Dam project that has been on the drawing board for decades, and from all intents and purposes the project is about to take off, we ought not to forget that it is also another hydro-power project whose viability would be subject to the dictates of the weather, over which we have no control.

There have been propositions every time the energy crisis reared its head that there was the urgent need to explore alternative sources of energy so we are not caught in a mess like what we find ourselves in now.

Considering the very far-reaching effects that the shortfalls in our power supplies have on both the economic and social lives of the people, one would have expected that we paid serious attention to the proposal to look at alternative ways of power supply, to augment the Akosombo hydro dam and Aboadze Thermal Plant production.

Unfortunately however, immediately the crisis seemed to have subsided, we went back to our usual ways of doing things.

To The Chronicle, as the President’s word on putting the power problem behind us, as far as the time frame, seems to have gone with the wind, it is quite clear that we are in a real mess as far as the power situation in the country is concerned.

It is about time policy makers counted the real cost of this crisis and with it the need to urgently exploit alternative sources of power supply.