Akufo-Addo has ordered suspension of electricity export – Atta Akyea
The Chairman of the Energy Committee of Parliament, Samuel Atta Akyea, has revealed that President Akufo-Addo has directed the Volta River Authority(VRA) to stop exporting electricity to neighbouring countries.
The government’s directive to curtail electricity exports is a preliminary step to mitigate the impact of the power crisis on the nation’s economy.
Ghana exports power to neighbouring countries including Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso.
Mr Atta Akyea indicated that the move shows the President prioritising domestic energy requirements over potential profits from exporting electricity.
He underscored the President’s commitment to addressing the prevailing instability in the country’s power supply.
“The President has a sense of the national need rather than making profits abroad,” he stated.
He stressed the need to redirect the electricity generated for export back into the national grid to alleviate the ongoing power crisis.
Recently, Ghanaians have been experiencing unstable power supply in various parts of the country.
Consequently, the Minority in Parliament, civil society organisations (CSOs), and energy sector players have called for an ECG load-shedding timetable to help citizens plan their daily activities.
“We cannot afford to say, ‘Okay, let’s make good money abroad and let the national economy suffer’. So in the meantime, whatever is going outside would be curtailed and fed on the national grid so that we have electricity.”
The President’s directive follows recent calls by the Chief Executive Officer of the Independent Power Generators, Ghana (IPGG), Dr. Elikplim Kwabla Apetorgbor, for the Volta River Authority (VRA) to halt electricity exports and focus on meeting domestic demands amidst the current power crisis.
IPGG argued that Ghana was undergoing a power crisis, necessitating VRA to limit the export of hydro-generated electricity to neighbouring countries where consumers enjoy significantly lower power tariffs.
Mr. Apetorgbor stressed the importance of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority refraining from imposing high electricity tariffs on Ghanaians, especially during periods of unstable power supply.
However, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) stated that the nation has a stable national power supply despite the ongoing power crisis.
The power distributor attributed the recent power outages in certain areas to localised faults and urged its customers to report blackouts for the necessary action.