The government urgently needs nearly $90 million to avert a looming power crisis caused by insufficient fuel supplies for thermal plants, according to a report by the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo).
The GRIDCo report outlines that the funds are required to procure liquid fuel, such as light crude oil, to operate thermal plants in Tema and meet growing electricity demand.
The crisis stems from a generation capacity deficit following a pigging exercise conducted by the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCO), which temporarily disrupted natural gas supply.
The GRIDCo report details key strategies to mitigate the impact of the fuel shortage and maintain grid stability:
- Rescheduling Planned Maintenance: Revising the schedules for generator shutdowns to avoid overlaps with the WAPCO maintenance period.
- Securing Alternative Fuels: Procuring sufficient quantities of light crude oil or other liquid fuels to substitute natural gas for thermal power generation.
- Load Management Measures: Considering load-shedding as a last resort to stabilize the national grid in the event of severe power shortages.
The GRIDCo also announced the maintenance of gas pipelines from Nigeria to Ghana by the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAGP) which was initially scheduled for October 2024 but was postponed by the previous government to January 2025.
There is a deficit in generation capacity during the period of the WAPCO pigging exercise. Therefore, it is necessary to procure liquid fuel to operate thermal plants in Tema to meet demand. To prevent the looming ‘dumsor’, GRIDCo highlighted that the government will need “a total of US$ 89.90 million to purchase liquid fuel for running thermal plants and meet demand during the maintenance period.”
The report warns that failure to act swiftly could lead to prolonged power outages, disrupting economic activities and public services.
Stakeholders have called for expedited government action to secure funding and implement the recommended measures to avert the crisis.
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