Load shedding ‘could easily come back’ if…

Systems Control Manager of Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), Frank Otchere, has confirmed that with the completion of the Bui Hydroelectric Dam, the power rationing exercise - which has been in force since August last year - has ended.

“We have just ended the longest load shedding exercise,” he told our reporter in an interview on Friday, December 20, 2013.

He, however, cautioned that the exercise may return “if we do not have additional generation plants.”

The addition of the 400 megawatts (MW) of power from the Bui Dam is expected to add to the national capacity and sustain the energy demands of the country.

Mr Otchere explained to Sandra Amarquaye, however, that all the energy generated by the Dam will not be unleashed for use.

“[Bui Dam] is a peaking plant. We use it for peaking. We don’t run all the water at the same time.”

He stated that power from that Dam will only be brought on the national grid when there is maximum demand.

“We expect that between [Friday] and December 25 we could register a higher demand.”

He stressed that for now “we have enough generation capacity to save” but cautioned that efforts should be put into constructing more plants as the country’s energy demands continues to grow every year.