A former Chief Executive Officer of the Volta River Authority (VRA), Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby, has described as �complete nonsense,� the unreliable timetable from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has postponed until further notice, the release of a timetable for the ongoing power rationing for further consultation with stakeholders.
�This idea that they will put out a programme this week, then next week they will say we will solve the problem, another two weeks, they will come back with another load shedding programme is nonsense; it�s complete nonsense!� he fumed.
The country is experiencing power crisis as a result of labour unrest in Nigeria which has halted the supply of natural gas to Ghana, which is affecting the production of electricity and onward distribution to consumers.
The VRA has indicated it would have to bear huge operational costs by purchasing light crude oil for the production of electricity.
The Energy Ministry has given stated that the power rationing is likely to continue for a few more weeks.
It has also announced that emergency power badges are to be purchased to augment electricity supply.
But according to the former VRA boss, even though he supported the purchase of emergency power, �the approach has been wrong�we�ve compounded the problem.�
He explained that the principle of emergency power is not the procurement of equipment for several million dollars but �all you have to do basically is to look for people who have the badges and pay your price and the electricity is delivered.�
Hope over reality
Wereko-Brobby admonished the government to desist from putting �hope over reality� by finding lasting a solution to the problem.
He pointed out that the idea of building a new power plant or a badge which will be completed between 9 to 12 months will not solve the existing power challenges.
�Let us solve the problems now before we look to the future prospect,� he advised.
�They [government] are proffering future solutions while the problem is now�we should bite the bullet� Let�s stop talking about agreements, let�s talk about delivering, let�s stop �dumsor dumsor� now!�
According to Wereko-Brobby, the practice whereby the Energy Minister �gives all deadlines on when Atuabo will be ready, when T3 will be ready� when power crisis rears its head is unnecessary because in reality, �all those deadlines have been missed.�
�All those agreements they are signing will not see the light of day probably in my lifetime and the next five years or seven years if we are still here,� he added.
Extensive load shedding programme
The former VRA CEO is recommending the drafting of a load shedding programme which will last till December 2014.
This he said will help people plan their lives �so that there is some realism�The point is that, we should not be running �dumsor dumsor� load shedding programmes.�
�We should have a sustained load shedding programmes that allows Ghanaian businesses and Ghanaian citizens and everybody else living here to plan their lives.� �Essentially, GRIDCo gives direction to NEDCO and ECG about load shedding but the point I�m making is that, let�s stop beating about the bush, running away from reality, let�s do it for maybe until Christmas and let industry and Ghanaians be able to plan,� he added.
Politicization of power crisis
Dr. Wereko-Brobby, a suspended member of Ghana�s main opposition, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) wants an immediate end to the constant politicization of issues relating to the energy sector.
�Stop this thing about opposition versus the government. No decent country discusses its basic social problems in terms of political gains.� He recalled that Ghana has been having power challenges since 1983 and �when you put political spin over talking serious oil business and engineering business, this [power crisis] will happen.� Wereko-Brobby remarked that when �we reduce everything to claiming credit; the people are suffering because people are trying to claim political credit instead of sitting there and solving the problems.� �Most of these problems came because when Kufuor�s government was overthrown, a lot of projects were held in abeyance for three, four, five years and we are still carrying on this political mishmash.�
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