<<Print>>

"We have managed to keep the lights on these last 7 years", President Nana Akufo-Addo teased the previous administration while delivering his State of the Nation Address (SONA) at Parliament on Tuesday, February 27.

The President denied reports of dumsor under his administration.

Dumsor is explained as persistent irregular electricity supply and this term was most frequently used under the Mahama government as the nation was plunged into abject power cuts.

However, under the Akufo-Addo regime, there have been complaints about sporadic electricity supply to some communities, hence reviving the conversation about whether or not Ghana has revisited the days of dumsor.

According to the President, his government has made significant progress in the energy sector, thereby solving the dumsor situation.

"So far so good, we have managed to keep the lights on these last 7 years even in the midst of a financial crisis. We have managed the energy sector with discipline and expertise to avoid the repetition of the hardships inflicted on Ghanaians some years ago", he told the august House.

He added; "Furthermore, through determined skillful negotiation, we have been able to reduce considerably the energy sector debt that we inherited. Indeed, the government-led negotiation carried out a successful reconciliation exercise with the IPPs and ECG which established that the IPP arrears position was not the 1.6 billion dollars that had been feverishly reported in the media but was actually 1.2 billion dollars, that is savings of some 400 million dollars."

To him, these and many other interventions by his government defeat the argument about the return of dumsor.

"Mr. Speaker, I am happy to report that we are making admirable progress in the provision of electricity to all parts of the country. Last year, two hundred and seven (207) communities were connected to the grid, taking the current national electricity access rate to eighty-eight-point-eight-five percent (88.85%). We are aiming to achieve universal access this year, by connecting an additional four hundred (400) communities to the national grid under the Self-Help Electrification Programme (SHEP) and other Turnkey Projects.

"As part of efforts to improve power system reliability in the middle and northern parts of Ghana, Government took a decision to relocate the two hundred and fifty megawatt (250MW) Ameri Plant from Aboadze to Anwomaso in Kumasi. The Volta River Authority (VRA) has successfully relocated six (6) Units of the Ameri Plant, with capacity of one hundred and fifty megawatts (150MW), which are currently being tested and commissioned in Kumasi. The Authority is taking steps to relocate the remaining four (4) units before the end of the year", he further recounted as part of measures undertaken by his government in resolving the energy sector.

He stressed; "Mr Speaker, we are also making steady progress in our commitment to increase the component of renewable energy to our energy generation mix. A four-megawatt floating solar PV on the Bui Reservoir, as well as the fifteen megawatt (15MW) solar PV at Kaleo, have been completed and are both operational.

"They have contributed to increasing our share of solar energy to the generation mix to three-point-two percent (3.2%). A one hundred megawatt (100MW) solar PV under is under construction at Bui, as is the Mini-grid Electrification Programme ongoing in the Ada East District, all of which will help us attain our target of ten percent (10%) renewable energy in our generation mix by 2030."