John Jinapor, Minister for Energy and Green Transition, has denied pleas from the Minority and other Ghanaians for a load-shedding timetable to be published in light of the recent sporadic power outages in several parts of the country.
During a news conference at Jubilee House on Friday, John Jinapor stated that such appeals are improper and unnecessary because the country is not currently experiencing ‘dumsor’.
“Today, let me state unequivocally that we are not shedding load, thus the minority’s and some people’s demand that we publish a load shedding timetable is unfounded. “When you are not shedding load, there is no need to publish a timetable,” he stated.
While admitting that the power grid is inadequate, the Minister stated that there is enough power because Ghana already exports 300 megawatts to bordering Burkina Faso and Benin.
“In reality, we are currently exporting approximately 300 megawatts of power outside of Ghana to Burkina Faso, Benin, and surrounding nations.
“And so when you have enough and you are exporting power to other countries, obviously there will be no need to publish load shedding timetable,” according to him.
The minister also stated that, while the electricity grid is fragile and weak, the government is striving to buy enough fuel and make adequate payments to providers in order to maintain the system.
The Energy Minister also indicated that, given the high power demand, the government will need approximately 700 million dollars in fuel to cover the fuel gap.
“In order to meet the demand requirements, we require about 700 million dollars worth of fuel in order to fill the fuel deficit because our petrol today is inadequate to meet our fuel requirement,” he said.
He stated that the government will implement the Renewable Energy Investment Fund, which will promote the use of more renewable energy to minimise the peak demand of power, consequently producing substantial savings so that we can continue to produce power.