Ghana achieves only 0.1% of proposed 10% increment in energy in 10 years – ISSER

The government of Ghana has only been able to achieve a mere 0.1 per cent of its targeted 10 per cent increment in energy from 2010 to 2020, according to the 2014 “State of the Ghanaian Economy Report”, released by the Institute of Social, Statistical and Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana.

The report, released Wednesday September 9, 2015, notes that government has achieved only 0.1 per cent of a proposed 10 per cent increment in energy from 2010 to 2020.

“Two thirds of rail have been dormant for 12 years and would require reconstruction, national freshwater resources are under siege from mining activities, and recycling and composting have not been given attention,” it said.

Ghana has been experiencing an energy crisis for about three years now. The government had hoped to increase power generation from 2,300 to 5,000 megawatts by 2017.

In his State of the Nation Address in February, President John Mahama said the Ministry of Power would procure and feed into the system, 1,000 megawatts of emergency power as an immediate measure to resolve the energy crisis.

He indicated that guarantees were agreed for Karpower ship from Turkey to provide 450MW, APR from the United Arab Emirates to provide 250MW and GE 300MW.

He said following the power purchase agreements entered into with several Independent Power Producers and plants that Volta River Authority was working on, the country expected to inject 3,665 MW of power into the power transmission grid, from this year, 2015 and over the next five years.

The President said completion of planned steam generation units on some current single cycle plants, such as TT1, CENIT and KTPP would add another 330MW to the generation and that when the planned addition of 3,800MW to the generation was realised, it would assure the country’s energy security into the future.

The Minister of Transport, Mrs Dzifa Attivor, said in July 2015 that re-development works on the Western Railway Line, which would stretch from Takoradi to Kumasi, including a branch line from Dunkwa to Awaso is estimated to cost $1 billion when completed.

By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi