Deputy Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Ing. Kwadwo Obeng, has dismissed requests for a load shedding timetable amid ongoing power challenges.
ECG, in conjunction with GRIDCo, recently announced a three-week power outage due to a gas supply shortfall from Nigeria.
This announcement has prompted calls from business owners for a structured load shedding timetable to aid in planning during this period.
In interviews with Citi News, barbers and tailors expressed concerns over the impact on their businesses and emphasized the necessity of a timetable to organize their operations effectively.
“I think that the situation will have some effects on our businesses. There is nothing we can do. It’s only God that we are praying to save us from this. Because we don’t have any solution, I don’t have a generator to work. So, if there is no light, what can I do?
“I just have to sit down and wait till the lights are turned on. If there’s no light, how can I work? I can’t work. And if there is no work, how do you expect me to eat? Or solve my problems?
However, speaking at a public forum focused on addressing challenges in the power sector, Ing. Kwadwo Obeng emphasized that a fixed timetable might not remain accurate in the presence of additional faults and ongoing maintenance work.
“We’re collaborating with local manufacturers, we’re collaborating with companies that have plants here…there’s more certainty in the amount that needs to be shed, then the utilities can also plan, then we’re definite.
“We know there will be a three-week [challenge], do we even know the quantum, we don’t know the quantum. Without the quantum, how do you even prepare the schedule? There are several factors, having known the quantum, you need to know the duration, there’s an off-peak period, peak period.”
Obeng stressed the complexity of the situation and the need for flexibility in managing power supply interruptions effectively during this period of gas supply constraints.