The Minister of Energy, Matthew Opoku Prempeh has downplayed assertions that the government has for the past five years made little or no investment in the energy sector.
Speaking after a tour of the Pokuase Bulk Supply Point, the Minister said government has been undertaking some projects in recent times to ensure a stable supply of power.
While calling on Ghanaians to bear with the government as it addresses current power challenges, the Minister emphasized the need for an upgrade of facilities belonging to the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo).
“I hope the media can convey to Ghanaians the investments that are going on [in the energy sector]. The last time we visited the Ghana Grid Company, we were told some wires had not been changed since the 50s and 60s. These wires have currently been changed to improve the supply situation in Accra. We hope that you [Ghanaians] will bear with us as we put in the necessary investments [in the energy sector]. Outages that are happening are not being overlooked,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Technical Controller at the Millennium Development Authority, Engineer William Amuna says the Pokuase Bulk supply point project is expected to be fully operational by August 2021.
Ghanaians have in the past few months been experiencing intermittent power outages, sparking fears that the country may be returning to the days of unstable power supply popularly known as ‘dumsor.’
GRIDCo, which is Ghana’s power transmitter has in various forums however insisted that the challenges are technical and that the country will not experience ‘dumsor’.
GRIDCo said some of its transmission lines are faulty and for scheduled maintenance works to be done, some areas will need to have their power disconnected.
The Energy Minister had earlier indicated that there will be an erratic power supply in May due to the ongoing upgrade of the Kasoa and Pokuase substations.
