The Executive Director of the Africa Center for Energy Policy (ACEP), Ben Boakye, suggests that the recent letter from the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) to the Minister of Energy, expressing concerns over the Electricity Company of Ghana's (ECG) failure to provide a load-shedding timetable amidst the ongoing power outages, is an attempt to deflect blame.

In the letter dated March 28 and addressed to the Minister of Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, GRIDCo raised serious concerns regarding ECG's non-compliance with load-shedding management instructions issued by the National System Control Center (NSCC).

During an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show on Citi FM on Friday, April 5, Ben Boakye elaborated on the contents of GRIDCo's letter, indicating that it serves as an official attempt by GRIDCo to distance itself from the ongoing power crisis.

Boakye explained, "GRIDCo acknowledges the existing challenges within the power sector, including the generation deficit. Therefore, the letter to the Energy Minister aims to absolve GRIDCo from any responsibility for the current situation."

GRIDCo's letter highlighted ECG's failure to adhere to directives from the National System Control Center, warning that this non-compliance poses a significant risk to the stability of the power grid.

It cited instances where ECG's actions led to a drop in system frequency in certain areas.

Additionally, Boakye emphasized the potential negative impact of the power challenges on ECG's revenue generation.

He pointed out that the Burkinabe authorities had recently communicated with their citizens about similar power challenges and mentioned plans to acquire a power plant, which could further exacerbate the situation in Ghana.

Overall, Boakye's remarks underscore the complexity of the ongoing power crisis and highlight the need for coordinated efforts to address the underlying issues affecting the sector.

“GRIDCo is aware of the generational gap in the power sector and all other stakeholders are aware of the challenges affecting the sector so the letter to the Energy Minister is to officially take itself out of what is happening in the sector because the gas to generate the power is not enough.”

“Burkinabe authorities communicated recently about the power challenges to their people and said they are considering getting a power plant which will be a shoot in our foot.”