Report by Priscilla Koranteng Brown- 31st march 2024
The Executive Director of the Chamber for Petroleum Consumers Ghana(COPEC), Duncan Amoah, has asserted that government can not use grammar to purge the Electricity Company of Ghana(ECG) from the depths accrued and poor management of the power sector.
He said, ” the truth of the matter is this, we can massage the power sector with grammar but the numbers will still expose you. As we speak the IPPs(Independent Power Producers) are owed in excess 1.5 billion US dollars. I am not sure any business from anywhere will be okay enough to continue taking bank loans to be able to continue supplying you with power”.
Meanwhile, a former deputy minister for energy and MP for Yapel-Kusawgu constituency, John Abdulai Jinapor, had earlier alleged that government needs about 50 million US dollars to purchase feul. He maintained that the current erratic power supply (known as dumsor) is a financial problem.
Mr. Amoah pointed out that ECG is unable to account for some over hundred megawatts of power Ghana sold to neighbouring countries like Benin and Togo. This according to him, accounts for the revenue shortfalls the power distributor faces.
As pressure continues to mount on the ECG to release a load-shedding timetable, the regulator, Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), is likely to sanction ECG for failing to comply with the order to publish a load management schedule.