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The much-dreaded load-shedding of electric power is once again to be introduced, with an announcement by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) that it will come out with a timetable next week to manage the power challenges facing the country. Speaking at a joint press conference organised by the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum and power companies in Accra yesterday, the Director of Operations of the company, Mr Tetteh Okyne, said the measure had become necessary in view of the shortage in electricity supply. �We are still in talks with our partners within the power sector. Over the weekend, hopefully, we should be able to firm up on the quantities which we hope to offload at each period of the time. So once we have that, we are going to come out with a programme. By the beginning of next week we should be able to have the programme ready; then we will publish it on our website and in the newspapers,� he said. He advised Ghanaians to make sure they were conversant with the timetable once it was out, and not assume that all power outages they experienced were the result of the planned load-shedding, since faults could also be the cause. The Deputy Minister of Energy and Petroleum in charge of Power, Mr John Abu Jinapor, disclosed that the power challenges currently being faced by the country were due to some challenges with some of the machines that were due for repairs and the erratic and unreliable supply of gas from Nigeria. That, he said, had resulted in the inability of some of the thermal plants to work effectively. �On behalf of the minister, I wish to assure the nation that the ministry is committed to ensuring that normalcy is not only restored within the shortest possible time, but also our strategic plan of providing a dependable, reliable power supply in a comprehensive manner is pursued and implemented,� he said. Reason for power challenges Mr Frank Okyere, Systems Control Manager of Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), explained that the challenges experienced lately in electricity supply was the result of a shortage brought about by demand outstripping supply. �That is what has necessitated the curtailment of loads, especially in the evening peak periods, in order to balance the demand and supply situation,� he said. He said the supply shortage had come about due to a combination of factors, adding that while on the hydro side everything was working normally, on the thermal side some expansion works, coupled with some maintenance works, had caused a shortage. According to him, the Takoradi TICO plant, which until now had been a single-cycle plant with two gas turbines, was undergoing an expansion project to add a steam turbine to give it a combined cycle. �When that work is completed, it is expected to add an additional 110 megawatts to the power generation portfolio,� he added, pointing out that the gas turbines had to be shut down in order for the expansion works to be carried out. �That, coupled with the erratic gas supply from Nigeria, had caused some of the gas-fired plants not to be able to give as much capacity as they would have been able to give,� Mr Okyere added. He said the Asogli power plant, which should be able to produce 180 megawatts of power, was currently contributing 150 megawatts because the gas volumes being received from Nigeria was low. �So in all, we have in total 1,650 megawatts capacity available now and our projections show that the peak demand for today as we speak is 1,985 and that�s virtually 2,000 megawatts. That shows clearly that we have a shortage of supply and for that reason we have to take off some loads, especially in the evening peak times when the load is heavy,� Mr Okyere said. He expressed optimism that the ongoing expansion works on the thermal plant would be completed by April 15, this year. Growing load Mr Kirk Koffie, the Chief Executive of the Volta River Authority (VRA), said the challenges were temporary and gave an assurance that �by the end of the month this situation will be normalised�. He was, however, of the view that although the load-shedding was impacting on the nation, the good thing was that there was a growth in load, which signifies a growth in development. �Last year we recorded over 200 megawatts increase and that is a challenge and we are also doing everything possible to add on the needed generation, so that we can also meet the increasing demand in the country,� Mr Koffie said. He also stated that after the installation and commissioning of a 220-megawatt thermal plant at Kpong in December, 2014 and the completion of the TICO expansion by the end of the year, the VRA would add a total of 300 megawatts to the current power production. Mr Koffie spoke of other projects whose negotiations had already commenced and appealed to consumers of electricity to help conserve energy by putting off appliances and lights when they were not nee