End of load shedding in sight - Power Minister
The Minister of Power, Dr Kwabena Donkor, remains convinced that the current load shedding in the country will be resolved by the end of December 2015.
He made it clear that he still stood by his word to resign by January 1, 2016 should the 'dumsor' persist by that time.
He said the ministry, its agencies and other stakeholders in the sector were working round the clock and had, indeed, put in place so much in terms of preparatory work for more power generation and distribution in the country to the extent that he could predict the end of load shedding as scheduled.
Dr Donkor made the disclosure at a meeting with a 25-member delegation made up of ambassadors, heads of missions of donor countries in Ghana, including the United Nations, the European Union, the US, Canada, Japan and Brazil, when they called on him in his office to find out about the power situation in the country and other developmental issues.
The minister said the Sunon Asogli Power Plant in Tema was expected to deliver an extra 180 megawatts (MW) by the end of November as part of its second phase generation of 360MW. Sunon Asogli currently generates 200MW.
More power
He indicated that with 220MW from the Kpone Thermal Power Plant, 110MW from the TICO expansion, 250MW from Ameri, 38MW from Semens, 225MW from Karpowership, among other facilities, coming on stream to support existing generation from the Volta River Authority (VRA) and the Bui Dam, prospects were brighter than ever for a blissful Christmas for Ghanaians and all who lived in the country.
He assured the ambassadors that the government was also encouraging energy conservation practices, in addition to the increase in the use of renewable energy, including solar panels and biomass.
Commendation
Led by Madam Laura Carpini, the Italian Ambassador to Ghana, the group commended the efforts of the government and the ministry in taking the bold decision to solve the power crisis once and for all.
It also expressed satisfaction with plans by the country, through the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) to introduce a realistic and appropriate tariff regime for electricity and other utilities, since that was the only way to ensure adequate investment in the sector for reliable and efficient service delivery.
