Power supply to improve soon — ECG

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) says it is optimistic the current load shedding will improve very soon.

However, the company said it would not make any projections as to when the situation would improve but gave an assurance that immediately there was any improvement in the generation, it would be translated into stable power supply.

The Public Relations Manager of ECG, Mr William Boateng, told the Daily Graphic in an interview that some power projects were expected to be completed by the end of the month, which would add up to the national grid to improve the power situation.

“We do not want to make any projections. However, immediately there is an improvement in the generation, which we are expecting very soon, consumers will begin to see the results in terms of relatively stable power supply,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said the load-shedding exercise was still ongoing contrary to speculations that additional megawatts were on stream.

He indicated that an average of  between 400-500 megawatts of power was still being shed, leaving consumers to experience 24-hour blackout and 12-hour light.

Situation

Ghana's energy crisis has deteriorated in recent times. 

Industries and small-scale businesses have also been hit hard with the crisis to the extent that they are laying off workers.

Authorities of the Ghana Grid Company Limited and the Volta River Authority say the crisis was the result of the low water level in the Akosombo Dam, breakdown of some machines and lack of gas to power some of the country's thermal plants.

With the worsening power situation in the country, the government has opened up the sector to allow private sector participation in electricity generation.