Skip to main content

ACEP backs gov’t. decision to review power agreements


By: Fred Yaw Sarpong
sarpong007@gmail.com

The Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), an energy think-tank has backed the government’s decision to review all the power agreements entered by the previous government.
                                                         Dr. Ismael Ackah of ACEP 

However, ACEP is urging the government to be cautious when reviewing the agreements in order not create problem for the country.

Speaking to the Daily Express, Dr. Ishmael Ackah, Head of Policy Unit and Energy Policy Advisor at ACEP said between 2012 and 2015, the government issued about 34 power licenses. “Not up to five of these licenses are in operations and it’s difficult to understand,” he added.

According to him, if all these power licenses are in operation, Ghana will generate about 10,000 megawatts of power, and this will be far more than about 4,000 megawatts of power the country will need if the government is able to set up the ‘one district one factory’ it promised the people of Ghana.  

“He also mentioned that export of power from Ghana to other neighboring countries do not fetch the country huge money, as compared to collection of power from Ivory Coast. Ghana gets about 4 cents per kilo watt from exporting power while we pay about 14 cents per kilo watt to import power,” he stated.

“World Bank has said that excess capacity of power will cost about US$2.5 billion annually. I don’t think we have to allow that to happen,” he emphasized.
  
Mr. Emmanuel Kuyola, the Country Director for Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) said they are not against the review of any power agreements.

Mr. Kuyola said “NRGI don’t have issue with that if the government thinks that’s the best way to go. But the government must treat cautious when reviewing such agreements.”

President Nana Akufo-Addo announced in his recent State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Parliament that “the government is conducting a review of all the Power Agreements entered into by the previous government in order to prioritize, renegotiate, defer or cancel outright, if necessary, in the national interest.”

He mentioned that “as at the end of 2016, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) had signed 43 Power Purchase Agreements (PPA), whilst a further 23 were under discussion.”


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shortage of weighing cards hit major hospitals in Accra

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong- Daily Express There is scarcity of Child Health Records Book (weighing cards), in some major public hospitals in the capital, information reaching the Daily Express indicates. Checks by this paper revealed that while some of the hospitals have being encountering the shortage for about a year now, others started experiencing it six months ago. In place of the Child Health Record Book (weighing card), the nursing mothers are given a single card on which information of children are recorded on it. Those hospitals identified are the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Korle Bu Polyclinic, Kaneshie Polyclinic, Adabraka Polyclinic and the Ridge Hospital. At the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the nursing mothers are given yellow cards in place of the weighing cards. The Public Relations Secretariat at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital said such information has not come to their notice and for that matter they cannot comment on it. “We do not have some
Post a Comment
Read more

90 African Journalists entertain by Disney Africa

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong- Daily Express Mauritius Disney Africa welcomed 90 journalists from across Africa to their first ever showcase to media from the continent, at this year’s Multichoice Africa Content Showcase Extravaganza. On Thursday 3 September, guests received a Disney Movie ticket which gained them entry to the special outdoor screening, set under the stars on the lawns of the idyllic Outrigger Beach Resort in Mauritius . After receiving their own Disney picnic basket and blankets, full of delicious treats and filling food, the guests made their way to the seating area, replete with comfortable chairs and loungers. Once the Disney fans were settled, the vast outdoor screen lit up and the evening’s festivities were well under way. A welcome speech by Deirdre King, Head of Marketing for the Walt Disney Company Africa, preceded the screening of two animated shorts. The first, the Academy Award-nominated Get a Horse, featured Disney favourites like Mickey, Minni
Post a Comment
Read more

ABL launches chibuku super in Bolgatanga

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong sarpong007@gmail.com Accra Brewery Limited (ABL) has officially launched the Chibuku Super drink at Bolgatanga in the Upper East region with the aim of reaching a lot of customers. Mr. Thomas Nii Ponku, Supervisor in charge of Chibuku Super at ABL told Daily Express that the management decided to launch the Chibuku Super drink in the Upper East region because they’ve realized it is similar to a traditional drink in the region. “Chibuku is like a well developed pito, a traditional drink made from fermented millet or sorghum in the Northern part of Ghana. So the idea is to provide them with similar drink,” he added. Mr. Nii Ponku disclosed this when members of the Institute of Finance and Economic Journalists (IFEJ) toured the facility of ABL to acquaint themselves with the expansion project at the factory. He mentioned that after a feasibility study, they realized there is a potential market for the product in the northern part of Ghana
Post a Comment
Read more