Minister: Power Supply Stabilized�Load Shedding Over

The minister of Energy and Petroleum, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has said electricity power has been stabilized and, as a result, the load shedding is over as adequate measures have been put in place to ensure enough generation of power. �The completed repair works on the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) is currently supplying 50 million cubic feet of gas to power all thermal plants in the country, thereby generating enough electricity for the nation� he stated. Speaking at the Ministry�s Encounter with Editors in Accra yesterday, Mr. Buah apprised journalists on the current state of power generation and stated that load shedding had ended as a result of measures instituted by the government to resolve the crises. He said his outfit was working round the clock to achieve the 2016 target of generating up to 5,000 megawatts, while ensuring that all thermal plants received enough power supply. According to him, any power outage would be a break in normal flow of local electricity supply but not as a result of low power generation. �We are happily on course with our electricity generation road map, and thus we have brought on stream a total 267 megawatts of additional installed capacity,� he said. He also stressed the need to promote the usage of solar energy, and said that government had been supporting industries, companies and domestic homes to supplement electricity power with solar energy. �As part of efforts to encourage the usage of solar energy, government has prioritized the free importation for solar plants, therefore, solar plants will for the next 10 years, be exempted from tax� he added. Mr. Buah advised the public to desist from illegal activities that put hurdles in the path of the energy sector, and rather engage in those that conserve power. According to him, illegal connection was a major contributor to debt incurred by the energy sector. He said government would do its best to clamp down on people found culpable but the public also had the obligation to avoid such acts and ensure that their attitude become expedient to the sector.