Power barge: At what cost to the consumer?

In September last year, the Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, announced that the government had ordered the construction of two power barges to add 450 megawatts (MW) of power to the national grid.

He said the first barge was expected to arrive in the country by the first quarter of this year, while the second was to come by the end of the second quarter.

Events thereafter have shown that the timelines have not been on the mark for various reasons that were given.

The power crisis has since then moved from bad to worse, with debilitating consequences for businesses, individuals and the economy in general.

Amid the expressions of scepticism by a good number of Ghanaians regarding the truth about the ordered power barges, it is gratifying to note that the first of them arrived at the Tema Port over the weekend.

Meanwhile, questions remain unanswered as to what the arrival of the barge holds for power generation in the country.

Does its arrival mean an end to the crisis that has bedevilled the country for the past three years? If the arrival of the barge means improved power generation, what is the inherent cost?

The Minister of Power, Dr Kwabena Donkor, has already made the call for Ghanaians to brace themselves to pay realistic charges, but the question is: are the intended charges going to be affordable to all Ghanaians?

In the past, reasons had been given for increases in power charges but they did not translate into better and enhanced services.

While the arrival of the first barge is welcome news, the Daily Graphic believes that it is time for all Ghanaians, including those involved in the power production and distribution chain, to brainstorm on what changes should be expected.

We need to generate ideas on the way forward, so that Ghanaians will know that whatever price they are asked to pay will be based on better and reliable services.

We cannot continue doing things in the same old way and expect to pay higher tariffs. Paying realistic tariffs must come with efficient, reliable and consistent power supply.