Calls for a load-shedding timetable amid the escalating power outages known as ‘dumsor’ keep growing by the day, with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the government, being strappingly bashed for their silence, as well as failure to help consumers plan their day at home, work and others, with the release of a timetable.
Aside from politicians and celebrities like actress Yvonne Nelson, civil society groups in the energy space such as the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) and Institute of Energy Security (IES) have also made similar demands, including the immediate removal of the Energy Minister Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, citing the worsening energy crisis as grounds.
However, there appears to be no immediate solution in sight, except excuses and assurances from the government people.
One such excuse came from Kofi Kapito, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Consumer Protection Agency and a senior member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who is closer to the corridors of power. He interestingly, stated that the current energy crisis makes it difficult for the ECG to issue a load-shedding timetable.
The Herald’s sources close to the Deputy Energy Minister, Herbert Krapa, the recently appointed Board Chairman of ECG, have assured that the crisis would be resolved in a few weeks; a maximum of two weeks.
The state power distributor, ECG, has come under public criticism in recent times for the disruption in the power supply, and their failure to publish a load-shedding timetable to that effect.
At a press briefing, Kodzo Yaotse, ACEP’s Policy Lead for Petroleum and Conventional Energy, condemned ECG’s apparent incompetence, attributing it to the company’s monopoly in the power distribution sector.
“They [ECG] are just lucky that they have a monopoly over the service that they provide for us. If there was competition in the distribution of power in this country, I am sure ECG would have lost all of its customers by now to a more efficient and competent power supplier.
“To the extent that ECG is exhibiting some regulatory recalcitrance and also with the blessing of the Energy Minister, who is a politician by the way and would never want to admit that we are in this fix, we may not see a timetable until we are able to isolate the political management of ECG from the technical management of ECG.”
Nana Amoasi VII, the Executive Director of IES, expressed disappointment with the minister’s perceived inaction in an interview on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News on Monday and called for the immediate removal of the Energy Minister.
According to the IES, the current state of the energy sector necessitates swift intervention, prompting their advocacy for the minister’s dismissal.
Dr Opoku Prempeh, had dismissed requests for a timetable, contending that the country is not undergoing power outages.
The Executive Director of IES, highlighted the minister’s apparent disconnect from the reality of the energy situation, questioning the purpose of his presence in such a critical space.
“Where we have gotten to, there is no circuit and so what is the use of the minister in that space? He must be relieved, probably to concentrate on any other agenda he is bidding for. He must be relieved of his post. It is becoming too much. Is it not insulting with the statement that he made? Total disrespect to consumers. Are we asking for too much?
“For God’s sake, I am a prepaid consumer. I have paid for that power that you need to supply me. In fact, you chose to put a meter in my house at a fee, that is also a contract in a form, and he chose to take my money in advance.
“If I am not going to get the power, then just out of respect, at least tell me when I can have the power. But don’t look into my face and say, I should go and produce my own timetable.”
But Senior Presidential Advisor, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, has declared that the decision to publish a load-shedding timetable rests with the Energy Minister.
He emphasised that, only the energy minister has the authority to order the publication, as he oversees the generation. He added that a load-shedding timetable can be implemented.
“To publish the rationing of the power, nobody can do it except the Minister of Energy, because he is seeing the generation and they [ECG] are looking at the utilization. So, they can look at it and say that in this particular area, this is how it should be done.
“But it is something which can be done, because it is what you have and what you have to use and then spread it,” the Senior Presidential Advisor said on the sidelines of a forum on open government partnerships and construction sector transparency in Accra, on Tuesday, April 23.
Addressing journalists in Accra on Friday, April 19, the Majority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, had assured that the government is actively taking measures to address the ongoing sporadic power outages.
Afenyo-Markin, expressed his trust in the government’s ability to effectively handle and resolve the situation. He referenced previous occasions when similar issues were successfully tackled after the administration took office.
The Effutu MP, highlighted the government’s history of maintaining a steady power supply, even in the face of difficult circumstances.
For several months, Ghana has been grappling with ‘Dumsor’, leading to businesses expressing concerns over its negative impacts.
Mr Kapito, yesterday, said unlike previous instances where power outages stemmed primarily from generation capacity limitations, the current scenario is complicated by financial constraints, which, to him, does not necessarily require a load-shedding timetable.
He explained that, once the financial bit is addressed, there will be no need for a timetable.
“As we all know it is not like before when we used to build some transformers which we knew is going to take us some months and so we have to do some proper plan and then bring out a timetable.
“Unfortunately, because it is financial, it is difficult for ECG to say that they will bring a timetable simply because people are calling for it. If they bring the timetable and money becomes available, thus, they are able to pay the IPPs or they have to buy the necessary fuel for power plants, then what happens to the timetable? That I think is the challenge the ECG is facing.
“ECG is in the business to sell you power. When ECG gets the electricity, they have no need apart from selling it to the consumer or anybody who needs it. So, when people sometimes behave as if ECG has the power and they are doing something or intentionally not distributing it, I find it a little difficult,” he stated.
