Energy Expert Calls for Emergency Fund to Address Looming Power Crisis

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Power
Power

As Ghana braces for a potential power crisis, energy expert and Executive Director of Eureka Energy Solutions, Dr. Yussif Sulemana, has advised the new administration to establish an emergency fund to manage the anticipated power outages in the country.

Dr. Sulemana emphasized that an emergency fund would provide essential resources to ensure a continuous fuel supply to power plants, preventing a disruption in the country’s energy supply. “We have to set up an emergency fund to ensure that we have available fuel supply. In this case, fuel to the power plants will always be available,” he explained.

This recommendation follows comments from the Energy Minister-designate, John Jinapor, who warned of potential power outages or “dumsor” in the coming days, triggering concerns about the country’s energy stability.

Dr. Sulemana proposed that an emergency fund would serve as a short-term measure to mitigate the immediate power supply challenges. However, he also called for a more strategic, long-term approach to address the structural weaknesses in Ghana’s power sector.

In the medium to long term, Dr. Sulemana advocated for deliberate investments in the country’s gas infrastructure, which he believes is critical to ensuring sustainable power generation. This would involve expanding gas capacity and piping gas to processing plants to optimize the country’s gas reserves for power generation. “Having another gas plant will help feed the power industry and unlock some untapped oil due to gas off-take issues,” he added. He noted that Ghana’s heavy reliance on liquid-based fuel for power generation is unfortunate, especially given the country’s abundant natural gas reserves.

The expert also highlighted the importance of diversifying Ghana’s energy generation mix. “We need to make concerted efforts to diversify our generation portfolios to encapsulate renewables. I think we have huge potential, especially in solar,” he stated.

While Ghana has made some strides in renewable energy, Dr. Sulemana pointed out that the country’s solar energy penetration remains low, currently at a mere two percent of total energy production. To boost solar adoption, he urged the government to create a more conducive environment for the sector by providing incentives, particularly for solar inverters and batteries, which are key components of a solar power system.

Despite incentives for importing solar panels, the high cost of solar inverters and batteries remains a barrier to the wider use of solar energy. Dr. Sulemana recommended that the government extend tax waivers or incentives to these essential components to stimulate greater investment in solar energy solutions.

In a positive development, the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo) has postponed scheduled pipeline maintenance for two weeks, offering some temporary relief to the power crisis. This decision follows intense negotiations with a technical team, headed by Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, aimed at addressing the country’s energy challenges.

As Ghana navigates these critical energy concerns, Dr. Sulemana’s recommendations highlight the need for both immediate action and long-term strategic investments to ensure the country’s energy security and avoid a return to frequent power outages.

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