ECG is not undertaking load-shedding – Energy Minister insists

The Minister of Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has clarified that the recent power outages experienced across Ghana were not due to load shedding by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

Addressing questions in Parliament on Wednesday (19 June), Dr. Prempeh attributed the intermittent power supply to several factors unrelated to planned load shedding.

“The question was asked over two months ago…No, ECG is not undertaking load-shedding as at the time the question was asked. Consumers were experiencing outages due to a number of factors. That included localised outages due to overload online and transformers.

“There are certain areas in this country where all of a sudden, the number of residents and businesses has accumulated; parts of East Legon which was purely residential area have now become a business district, increasing power consumption.

“Thereby hampering the existing lines there, so the transformers and lines had to be updated. Outages to the average capacity of overloaded lines and transformers.

“At the time the questionnaire put the question, CenPower had an emergency which meant a complete shutdown, losing immediately 40 megawatts. That also contributed and the plant maintenance on Amandi power was also ongoing at the same time.

“The emergency outages sometimes requested by GRIDCo have also contributed, so there were myriads of factors that had unfortunately happened, that are causing the power outages in different times. The reason ECG said they were not load-shedding is because most of the incidents were not planned and so they couldn’t have come out with a pre-programme to say they were loading.”

SOURCE: DAILY MAIL GH