Chairman of the Energy Committee of Parliament, Samuel Atta Akyea, has announced that the committee is prepared to investigate the cause of the recent intermittent power supply disruptions in the country.
He emphasized that the committee will rely on data and facts, and will not entertain any attempts to politicize the issue of power outages.
During an interview on JoyNews’ PM Express, Samuel Atta Akyea stated that key stakeholders in the energy sector will meet with parliament’s energy committee on Saturday, April 6, 2024, to discuss strategies for addressing the power supply challenges.
“It is important to know that the Energy Committee wants to interrogate this matter critically… We looking at data which is apolitical so you cannot come and do propaganda with facts, it won’t work,” he stated.
Samuel Atta Akyea further said, “If you do not have the power, you can’t conjure some propaganda and noise to bring the power. So you need to own up as to why we are having this challenge then those who are experts will look at it and say look, these are the obvious challenges…these are the solutions.”
The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Volta River Authority (VRA), Chamber of Independent Power Producers, Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo), Energy Commission, and Minister of Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, along with his technical team, are expected to participate in the meeting on Saturday.
This development follows the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission’s directive to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to provide a load management timetable by April 2, 2024.
Amidst growing concerns over persistent power cuts nationwide, some Ghanaians have called for ECG to release a load-shedding timetable. However, ECG’s management has maintained that the power outages are due to technical challenges and that no formal load-shedding schedule will be implemented.
In response to public outcry, the PURC issued a directive on March 18, instructing ECG to publish a load-shedding timetable by April 2, 2024. This move aims to provide clarity and transparency regarding the power supply challenges faced by consumers.