Kweku Awotwi ? CEO of VRA
Dr. Kwabena Donkor, Chairman of Parliament?s Select Committee on Energy has warned that Volta River Authority (VRA) faces imminent collapse if immediate measures are not put in place to address the financial crisis facing the Authority.
According to him, VRA loses $3 million anytime it fuels its plants with light crude oil.
Dr. Donkor said the nation could soon be plunged into total darkness if immediate steps are not taken to address the current problem.
The former deputy energy minister called for the review of the current electricity tariff paid by consumers to reflect operational cost at the company.
He said, ?Ghanaians must brace themselves to pay realistic tariffs if they want to enjoy power,? adding that independent power producers are not willing to support the current power generation due to the poor tariff regime.
?We are currently buying power at 4 cents per kilowatt hour, generation cost averages about 8 to 10 cents per kilowatt hour, and when we use light crude oil then is even higher. And yet since 2011 tariffs have not been adjusted; anytime the idea of tariffs is raised, people raise their voices no, no, no. We are virtually vandalizing our own assets,? he said.
Dr. Donkor urged Ghanaians to put a stop to what he described as ?cannibalism of state assets, otherwise we will have ourselves to blame in the future if the producers grind to a halt.?
?I am challenging anyone to justify the continuous paying of a tariff that is lower than the cost of generation. Everyone including government and individual consumers should take the blame for the current predicament of the power producers,? he declared.
Dr. Donkor said consumers would not get efficient and reliable supply of power if they continue to pay ?pittance? for the services rendered by the VRA and other service providers.
He said, ?It is time consumers are made to know the bare fact because Ghanaians are capable of making informed judgment if the facts are put before them.?
By Cephas Larbi
