Electricity supply to be affected anytime soon – Energy Minister

Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh, the Minister of Energy, has expressed worries on the impending impact on the supply of power resulting from a scarcity of gas for production.

He claims that the problem stems from an over-reliance on gas plants, as opposed to the previous practice of using liquid fuel to assist the production of energy.

Dr. Prempeh clarified that the nation is currently facing a dual dilemma: the entire transition to a gas-based system has left the power infrastructure vulnerable, and any disruption in the gas supply will cause all power-generating systems to shut down, resulting in a nationwide blackout.

“So that is why if people see lights out when they go out now, it is more extensive than previously because previously the liquid fuels were in the various thermal plants scattered around,” he noted.

The Minister of Energy emphasized that, in contrast to the past, when different thermal plants were distributed and fed by liquid fuels, the current scenario presents a huge difficulty because all power systems are now integrated by a single pipeline delivering gas.

“So it goes through the tubes that goes around. So when you have a major cut at one end, the devastation is horrendous and we don’t have enough gas for our generation as we speak, we don’t have enough gas,” he stressed.

He claims that the nation’s inadequate gas reserves, which are exacerbated by the dependency on the West African Gas Pipeline, make this issue worse.

He clarified that any payment defaults or delays to the pipeline limit the nation’s access to gas, exacerbating the nation’s power problems.

“So as we speak, this is a major challenge for us that from the West we have gas that we cannot put in because West African Gas Pipeline Company is not allowing us, it’s restricting us and that’s why sometimes we find that there are challenges with power networks,” Dr Prempeh stressed.

Dr. Opoku Prempeh emphasized the efforts made by the government to control the nation’s electricity supply.

Despite the difficulties, he asked Ghanaians to preserve electricity by using energy-efficient equipment, remembering the suffering caused by insufficient electricity supply in the past.

The Minister acknowledged the need for reliable and easily available power but advised citizens to watch how much energy they use in order to avoid wasting it.