The Minority in Parliament has raised alarms over what they describe as a worsening energy crisis, revealing that the country is facing a power shortfall exceeding 500 megawatts as of Tuesday, September 25, 2024.

Although the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has recently issued several notices about power outages, attributing them to routine maintenance, John Jinapor, the Minority Spokesperson on Energy, insists the issue goes deeper.

Jinapor claims the current power cuts are a direct result of mismanagement in the energy sector.

Speaking on the situation in an interview on Joy News on September 25, 2024, Jinapor accused the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) of concealing the real cause of the outages from the public.

"As we speak, load shedding is happening. GRIDCo has been directed not to inform consumers. Yesterday, we recorded a deficit of over 500 megawatts, and today, more load shedding is expected, affecting customers across the country," Jinapor stated.

The Minority also raised concerns over the financial struggles within the sector.

According to Jinapor, Tullow Ghana has not been paid for its gas supplies in the past nine months, leading the company to threaten a halt in gas provision.

Additionally, the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) are reportedly considering stopping power supply due to $1.2 billion in unpaid arrears.

Jinapor expressed concern over the deteriorating state of the energy sector, describing the situation as "sad."

He further accused the government of mismanaging the sector, pointing out that the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) recently declared ECG financially insolvent.

"It’s clear that the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia administration is preparing to hand over a crumbling, dilapidated energy sector to the Mahama government," Jinapor remarked.

AM/MA

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