Deputy Energy Minister, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini has dismissed suggestions that the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has embarked on a load shedding exercise due to the recent crisis facing the country’s energy sector.
Three nation-wide blackouts have been recorded within the past three months, a development initially attributed to a disruption in the supply of gas from the West African Gas Pipeline project in Nigeria to Ghana.
But speaking on Multi TV’s political talk show, Majority Caucus, Alhaji Fuseini said the recent communication from the ECG about a load shedding exercise was only a declaration of intent and not an indication that the ECG is actually carrying out a load shedding exercise.
“Just this morning I spoke to the acting Managing Director of ECG” Alhaji Fuseini said adding “and he said because the confidence level of Ghanaians has been greatly impacted by the national blackout, we thought we should publish and convey to Ghanaians that we don’t know what will happen tomorrow, we don’t know what will happen in future (but) let’s put Ghanaian minds at ease such that if the system runs at a level that is not adequate enough to supply enough megawatts for the peak demand, we might have to shed load, so that we put them on notice that we might.”
“But you realise that they have not embarked on a systematic load shedding. It was just intended to give notice” he explained.
According to the Deputy Energy Minister, the Volta River Authority has also given the Ministry the assurance that electricity production has reverted to pre-has shortage levels.
He noted that at a meeting with the Chief Executives of the Volta River Authority, Ghana Grid Company and the Electricity Company of Ghana, “VRA clearly informed us that the status quo ante, the situation that was prevailing before the disruption of gas supply to Ghana has been restored and all their generators are operational. So the amount of megawatt been produced now is exactly the same as was produced earlier and so they do not see how the ECG can embark on rationing.”