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Company News of Friday, April 5, 2019
Source: Myjoyonline.com
2019-04-05
John Jinapor, former Deputy Minister of Electricity
The recent round of power cuts across the country is largely due to inefficient management of the system, said former deputy energy minister John Jinapor.
In an interview with the Super Morning Show on Friday, he told series host Daniel Dadzie that the solution is simple: the energy and energy ministries should develop a 10-year comprehensive approach to put an end to what will inevitably become an energy crisis.
However, he admitted that higher crude oil costs and the depreciation of the cedi exacerbated supply.
"In just two years, the ECG has announced losses of $ 3 billion," he said.
He explained that the accumulated debt resulted from a sharp increase in crude oil prices that began in 2012.
Before Dumsor in 2015, oil was selling for between $ 30 and $ 40 per barrel. These figures have suddenly doubled and the country has struggled to find funds. At the time, one option would have been to increase electricity bills to meet the demand, but "how can you do that to consumers? If we did that, the industry would have collapsed, "Jinapor said.
Fortunately, the country switched from oil to most of the gas and 80% of it was supplied locally, but warned that the country should have some in its reserves.
"The hydropower plant can fail at any time," he warned.
Meanwhile, Ghanaians are shocked by the lack of power. When the blackouts started at the end of March in Kokomlemle, residents argued for a government response after an insufficient stock left them in the dark for days.
Kwesi Owusu is a tailor whose work has been "enormously affected" by lack of electricity. "Customers are disappointed. The government must solve this problem, "he told Joy FM.
Another resident, Joseph, has a hairdresser and uses a haircut in his hand. "I had to refuse most of my clients. It's pathetic. "
Isaac Nurris Ainooson, public relations manager of the PDS Accra East, told Joy FM last Saturday that the problem was due to a faulty seal on the power lines.
He explained that in March and April specifically, extreme temperatures and the corresponding need for electricity overload the power grid, resulting in power outages.
Ainooson did not want to confirm nor deny if the power would remain stable, although he mentioned that the problem had been temporarily solved.
Read more: Foundations of recent power outages across the country
"We had to throw food, which has a cost. Some of us had to sleep outside because there is no air entering the room, "said another resident of Accra living in Madina, where the power was also cut for several days. It's frustrating. "
In 2016, Erasmus Baidoo, regional manager of public relations at Ashanti at ECG, told Al Jazeera that one of the major problems in Ghana's electricity supply is that "people are trying to cheat the system."
He explained that only about 40% of ECG customers (now PDS) pay their bills, resulting in multi-million dollar debt.
"What about 60% [of customers that don’t pay]"Baidoo asked." Are you going to stop everyone? Are you going to deny them power because they have not paid their bills? "
Last year, the Minister of Energy refuted rumors that dumsor would come back.
"We are not in an era of" dum koraaa. "The lights are extinguishing as we see it, but I can badure you that this long period during which we had envisaged that our opponents think they want to take advantage of this period will never come because we are managing the system, "he said.
He continued, "We have people here to run the system and we can give Ghanaians confidence that the situation is now very much under control."
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