The Energy Minister, John Jinapor says the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCO) has announced a reduction in gas supply to Ghana due to a $20 million debt, exacerbating the country’s ongoing energy crisis.
This development follows a series of escalating challenges within the energy sector, with independent power producers and ENI also threatening to cut supply.
According to him, the sector is struggling with a staggering GHS 80 billion debt, putting the stability of power generation at significant risk.
The Minister disclosed the situation to the media, acknowledging the severe financial challenges facing the energy sector.
He said despite these difficulties, the government has no intention of returning the country to prolonged power outages, commonly referred to as “dumsor.”
Mr. Jinapor stressed that efforts would be made to ensure a stable power supply while addressing the mounting debts.
He added that the country is not experiencing load shedding, and therefore, there will be no timetable.
“This is a supply situation; no load management will be required during this period. This is the official report I receive daily, so we are not shedding load. There is no load shedding, so we cannot publish a load shedding schedule when we are not shedding load.”
The minister emphasized that “Admittedly, we have inherited a very weak system; the transmission grid is very weak, and so, at the slightest opportunity, you will see some areas going off.”
He assured that, in the face of these challenges, the 2025 budget includes a proposal for a significant tariff increase this year, aimed at addressing the financial difficulties of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
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