Energy Minister John Jinapor has disclosed that the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has several containers filled with essential materials, including transformers, stuck at the port. This situation is costing the company billions of cedis.

Speaking about the ongoing power outages, he explained that some of these transformers are needed to replace overloaded ones across the country.

However, they have been held at the port for so long that nearly half of their 10-year lifespan has already been wasted.

“When we took over, I visited the Tema Harbour and found about 3,000 containers stuck there, most of which contain transformers. As of today, ECG has a total liability of 13 billion cedis from supplies, with demurrage alone projected to reach GH₵1.5 billion by the end of 2024,” he stated.

The minister also revealed that in 2024, the Ministry of Energy awarded contracts worth GH₵6 billion without securing commencement certificates, even though its total budget for the year was less than GH₵2 billion. Meanwhile, ECG's financial commitments for electricity supply in that same year reached GH₵9.7 billion.

“These are the facts,” he emphasised.Mr Jinapor assured that the government would take decisive action to resolve these issues and ensure the efficient use of resources in the energy sector, adding that the Energy Ministry has set up a committee to investigate procurement anomalies and breaches.