John Jinapor: “Dumsor looms, Akufo-Addo government failed to procure fuel for power generation.”
John Abdulai Jinapor, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Yapei-Kusawgu seat, has issued a warning, stating that the nation is currently facing a severe energy crisis due to a shortage of fuel for electricity generating.
He claimed that in spite of numerous calls and warnings, the departing Nana-Addo-led government did not make the required fuel purchases.
“I’m sorry to inform you of this. We have barely five hours of fuel left as of right now, according to the confirmation we are getting,” he stated.
The nation’s present fuel supply for electricity generating won’t last more than two days, he continued. We don’t have enough diesel and heavy fuel to survive two days, if you look at that. Thus, in two days, we will be probably going to run out of petrol.
“As of right now, this administration has not issued any fuel orders,” he said.
He was chatting with JoyNews following President John Mahama’s inauguration on January 7 in Accra.
The energy mix and consumption needs of Ghana
A wide range of energy sources, such as hydroelectric power, solar energy, thermal energy (natural gas, crude oil, and diesel), and other renewables, define Ghana’s energy landscape.
The nation’s energy policy is to provide a sustainable and dependable energy supply to satisfy its expanding demand, which is being fuelled by urbanisation, industrialisation, and population expansion.
Ghana’s electricity supply has traditionally relied heavily on hydropower, which accounts for between 30 and 40 percent of the energy mix. The main hydropower plants are the Akosombo, Kpong, and Bui dams. However, because rainfall patterns are unpredictable, the use of hydropower has decreased over time.
Between 50 and 60 percent of Ghana’s energy comes from thermal facilities that run on natural gas, light crude oil and diesel. With imports from Nigeria via the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) supplementing domestic gas supplies from the Jubilee and Sankofa oil fields, natural gas has emerged as the favoured fuel.
About 1% to 2% of the energy mix is made up of renewable energy. Through initiatives like the VRA Solar Plant and small-scale distributed solar systems, Ghana has been progressively increasing its investment in solar energy.
An estimated 15,000 GWh of energy are consumed in Ghana each year, with the demand for electricity increasing at a pace of 6–10% annually.
The installed generation capacity exceeds 5,000 MW, indicating surplus capacity, whereas the peak electrical consumption is approximately 3,800 MW. However, maintenance, problems with the fuel supply, and other operational difficulties cause fluctuations in the actual available capacity.
