Recurring power outrages across the country is set to revive another politically charged discussion on the causes of erratic power supply in Ghana.
The fresh complaints come despite the Akufo-Addo administration claiming credit for ending a power crisis which analysts say ended the re-election chances of the John Mahama led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.

“Do not forget what dumsor caused this country some years ago. In less than two years, the NPP government has solved the situation. There is a change now,” the minister said last week during the 2019 budget presentation.
But from Adenta to Legon and from Dansoman to Amrahia residents in the Greater Accra region hit by power outages in recent times, expressed fears of a possible return to load shedding.
The blackouts occur during peak periods between seven pm and nine pm in recent times, says GRIDCo which transmits power to bulk customers like Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) for onward distribution to homes and businesses.
Member of Parliament’s Mines and Energy Committee Edward Bawa has attributed the outages to serious financial challenges in the power sector.
The Bongo NDC MP says the re-emergence of erratic power can be blamed on the re-emergence of debts in the energy sector.

 

He explained this is because ECG sells its power at prices below production cost. “For every sale they make, there is a deficit that they must account for”, he said on Joy News’ AM Show Thursday.
Joy News Energy Desk has learnt that apart from owing Karpower ¢300m, ECG also owes GRIDCO about ¢700m.
Ghana Grid Company Ltd (GRIDCo) which is severely cash trapped has said a cut in gas supply from the Ghana Gas company to Aboadze Thermal plant in the Western region is responsible for the outages.
Ghana Gas company has denied this claim and blamed the outages on a cut in gas supply from Tullow Ghana Limited, operators of the FPSO Kwame Nkrumah
The FPSO Kwame Nkrumah, a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel said in January it will shut down for maintenance in February, March and November 22, 2018.

Nigeria which supplies gas to Ghana has also reduced fuel supply for maintenance.
The Akufo-Addo government said the crippling power outages that plagued the Mahama-led NDC government between 2012 and 2016 was because of a financial problem than a technical problem.
The Mahama-led NDC government said it was more technical than financial. With a creeping emergence of power outages, an NDC MP has now taken a position taken by the NPP in opposition