Power Crisis Looms

Contrary to claims by the Chief Executive of the Volta River Authority (VRA), Dr Charles Wereko Brobby that the country would not suffer load shedding until 2010, the nation faces direct threats to its energy needs.

Energy experts say the VRA Chief?s claims are not only misleading but would pose a problem for the Kufuor administration once reality hits home and load has to be shed. Ghana now generates 65% of its power from thermal sources with the remaining 35% generated from hydro sources.

The Concord newspaper quotes energy sources as saying that the VRA Boss failed to factor in a number of core issues threatening VRA?s ability to generate power and that he sought to mollify the Kufuor administration into believing that that he is onto his job.

Brobby has been making claims in recent times that the VRA under his leadership has seen its last days when it had to ration power to save the Akosombo and Kpong hydro-electric plants from collapsing.

In an interview on Kwaku One-on-One early December, he stated that so far as he remained CEO of VRA, there will be no load shedding. But experts say this is an unrealistic dream.

Others warn that Ghana would soon be thrown into a major energy crisis by the middle of the year if the VRA does not begin load shedding now to save the dwindling water reserve of Akosombo Dam.

Still, some have cautioned that the low inflow of water into the Akosombo Dam over the past few months, coupled with the skyrocketing price of crude oil on the world market and the difficulties faced by government and the PURC in convincing the public to pay recovery tariffs for energy production suggests that there is much more to the Brobby claim.