Ghana tackles load shedding challenge

GOVERNMENT

Ghana’s President says the government is redoubling its efforts to improve electricity supply.

President John Dramani Mahama said this week the government was taking immediate steps to address the load shedding challenge, with an assurance that there would be resumption of supply of electricity from the West African Gas Pipe-line (WAGP) in the next few weeks. 

In a Policy Action Statement for the next few months before Election 2012, President Mahama said government was making every effort to increase the nation’s electricity generating capacity, to meet demand by industries.

He noted with regret an irregular supply of natural gas from Nigeria, which had resulted in shortages in the generation capacity, and recently a disruption in the WAGP had knocked out 320MW of the nation’s generating capacity, leading to load shedding.

 “I have directed that an Inter-Ministerial committee chaired by the Minister for Energy must, with immediate effect, engage the critical consumers of electricity, in particular, health and water supply facilities and key private industry establishments, to implement measures that will ensure that the nation’s strategic services and industry are not unduly disrupted,” he said.

In addition, the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURC) would strengthen its citizen complaints unit, and publish what measures it takes when citizens complain of poor service from the Electricity Company and water supply service providers.

President Mahama gave the assurance that by the end of October, there would be an additional 300 megawatts of electricity production that would come online for distribution, and this should greatly reduce the inconvenience of load-shedding.