President of the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious – Ghana (CMSR-GH), Fr. Paul Saa-Dade Ennin has said Ghana’s current power crisis is an invitation for the country to rethink its energy mix.
The President of Religious Congregations in Ghana, expressing his personal views at a press conference on March 16 at the end of CMSR-GH’s biannual conference held in Accra said the reality of the crisis should not be hidden from the populace.
“We should not live in deception. When there is a problem and the problem is made known, the problem is half solved. We cannot be playing the ostrich to be saying everything is well when we see that in fact, things are not so well,” Fr. Saa-Dade Ennin said.
He added that “I think the energy crisis is also an invitation to rethink our energy mix. In some countries in Africa, they are harnessing very well the solar energy and I think it is something that as a Conference and even as Congregations, we are also looking at and I think government is also looking at that. We have to encourage government in that sector.”
For more than a decade, Ghana was celebrated as one of Africa’s most promising and rapidly advancing economies. However, recent reports indicate a significant downturn in the country’s economy, marked by high inflation and recurring power outages known as “dumsor,” reminiscent of the period between 2012 and 2016.
In 2019, a report from the International Energy Association highlighted Ghana’s energy sources, indicating that approximately half of its electricity was derived from hydropower, with 30% sourced from domestically produced gas and 23% from oil.
Ghana’s hydroelectric resources are substantial, boasting an installed capacity of 1,580 megawatts generated from three major dams: Akosombo, Kpong, and Bui. These dams collectively contribute around 54% of the nation’s total electricity generating capacity.
The completion of the Bui Dam in 2013 by Chinese contractors aimed to address issues of limited access to electricity. Additionally, the construction of additional thermal plants since 2017 was expected to mitigate disparities in electricity distribution. Thermal plants utilize steam power generated through the combustion of oil, liquid natural gas, and coal.
Meanwhile, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has provided assurance to that power supply will soon return to normal.
Samuel Mahama, the Managing Director of ECG, has attributed the current power outages to maintenance work that was not adequately communicated to the public by the power distribution company.
“I will like to take this opportunity to say, dumsor is not back and this is a maintenance issue. We suffered a maintenance set back,” Mr. Mahama is reported to have said.
