John Jinapor, the Ranking Member on the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament, has attributed the ongoing power cuts in various parts of the country to generation issues rather than transformer overloads, dismissing claims made by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
In an interview on the Ghana Tonight show on TV3, Jinapor emphasized that the root cause of the current power outages is a deficiency in power generation capacity.
He refuted the narrative propagated by ECG regarding overloaded transformers, stating that out of 33,000 transformers, only about 600 are claimed to be overloaded, which he deemed insufficient to warrant the widespread load shedding being experienced.
According to Jinapor, the underlying issue behind the power cuts is financial, asserting that the government lacks the necessary funds to settle outstanding debts and procure additional fuel for thermal plants.
He estimated that approximately US$50 million is required to address these financial challenges and ensure adequate fuel supply for power generation.
Jinapor echoed the sentiments of the Public Utility Workers Union (PUWU), emphasizing that the responsibility lies with the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) to communicate effectively with ECG regarding available power supply.
He criticized ECG’s attempt to attribute the power cuts to overloaded transformers, suggesting that GRIDCo should inform ECG about power shortages so that appropriate measures can be taken to manage the situation.
In summary, Jinapor emphasized that the ongoing power cuts, known locally as “Dumsor,” are primarily due to a shortfall in power generation capacity compounded by financial constraints preventing the procurement of fuel for thermal plants.
He called for greater transparency and effective communication between GRIDCo and ECG to address the power supply challenges facing the country.