Ghana lacks sufficient power generation redundancy – Energy Minister

The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, has expressed concern about the lack of sufficient redundancy in Ghana’s power generation system, saying it has affected the country’s ability to ensure a reliable electricity supply.

He said the Ministry and its agencies were working to restore the Volta River Authority’s (VRA) idle plants to operation and ensure the Akosombo Hydroelectric Dam operated at full capacity to meet consumer demand and reduce reliance on expensive private-sector power generation.

Mr Jinapor was speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2026 edition of the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition’s Annual Review Meeting in Ho.

“The challenge we face, I need to be real, is that as we speak today, we don't have enough redundancy in the generation sector, and so, as Minister, I would love to procure more power, but I am also careful.”

He said decisions on procuring additional electricity had to be guided by the need to protect the country’s financial interests.

“If you love this country, you will treat this country as if it were your company; you will be guided. And that is why I am always guided by you people in respect to how we take our decisions.”

Mr Jinapor expressed confidence that efforts to restore idle power plants would help improve electricity supply, although he acknowledged that the process would come with challenges.

“And I am sure that even what we are doing, especially working with VRA to bring all their idle plants, we will be able to sail through, although it will come with challenges, but eventually when we have all these plants come on, we can reliably supply power at an affordable cost,” he explained.

The Minister also disclosed that the government was working to raise $500 million to strengthen the country’s electricity transmission infrastructure.

“GRIDCO is also important because we need to invest there. The Finance Minister is working with us to raise 500 million dollars to invest in the transmission system to strengthen that sector,” he said.

He added that electricity supply stability had improved following the procurement and installation of some transformers under a broader plan to install 10,000 transformers.

Mr Jinapor also announced that some private companies had expressed interest in undertaking oil exploration at designated sites across the country.

He further commended the management of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) for its financial and operational turnaround, saying the refinery had moved from recording significant losses to profitability after previously facing a crisis.

The annual review meeting provided an opportunity for stakeholders in the energy sector to discuss strategies to improve the country’s energy infrastructure and reliability of supply, following persistent challenges with electricity generation and transmission.

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.