Ghana is currently facing a severe electricity shortage, resulting in widespread power outages throughout the country. The lack of gas required to generate electricity has led to a supply gap of 550MW at peak times at the Tema power plant near the capital city, Accra, according to Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo), the power distribution firm.
This major outage began on Thursday evening and has significantly impacted Ghana’s already struggling economy. A study conducted in June highlighted the critical state of the country’s energy provision, warning of an impending power crisis. The Centre for Socioeconomic Studies (CSS) study revealed that Ghana’s financial distress is exacerbating the power situation, which may further deteriorate in the coming years.
The power crisis in Ghana has been worsened by the non-payment of debts owed to independent power producers by the state-run Electricity Company of Ghana. This led to the threat of a complete shutdown of operations by these producers in July.
In a statement released on Thursday, GRIDCo expressed regret for the inconvenience caused and announced that electricity supply would be curtailed in certain areas of Ghana due to limited gas supply to the Tema power plant. However, the company did not provide details about the cause of the gas supply problem or an estimated timeline for the resumption of normal supplies.
Ghana has been grappling with power shortages, known locally as “dumsor,” for several years. The country heavily relies on hydro and thermal sources for its electricity, but the inadequate maintenance of these sources has contributed to the ongoing challenges.
