IES Warns Power Outages Likely to Continue Till End of the Year
The ongoing power outages, widely known as ‘dumsor,’ is expected to continue through the end of the year unless critical structural issues within the energy sector are addressed, according to the Executive Director of the Institute for Energy Security (IES), Nana Amoasi VII.
His warning follows mounting concerns over intermittent power supply disruptions, which have raised alarms about the stability of the national grid.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on February 21, 2025, Nana Amoasi VII attributed the crisis to inefficiencies within the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), ageing infrastructure, and financial constraints that have impeded key energy sector operators.
He noted that Ghana’s power generation capacity remains precariously low, with supply often barely meeting or even falling short of demand. He further emphasized that power plants are frequently offline due to fuel shortages or forced maintenance shutdowns, exacerbating distribution challenges.
“Unless ECG enhances its operational efficiency, improves revenue collection, and ensures equitable revenue allocation across the energy value chain, we will continue to grapple with this crisis,” he stated. “Ailing infrastructure at GRIDCo remains underfunded, while ECG itself is burdened by inefficiencies. Power producers, whether state-owned or private, also struggle to sustain generation due to financial constraints. Additionally, WAPCo’s ability to supply natural gas remains under pressure.”
“We are in an uncomfortable situation, and unless systemic inefficiencies within ECG are addressed, I regret to say that dumsor will persist through the year,” he concluded.
Challenges in the power sector have been further exacerbated by the government’s inability to settle a $75 million debt owed to N-Gas Limited, which supplies gas to Ghana via the West Africa Gas Pipeline.
During a visit to the pipeline, currently undergoing scheduled maintenance, Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor, urged the public to remain patient as authorities work to resolve supply disruptions.
He underscored Ghana’s lack of spare capacity as a critical factor in the ongoing power supply disruptions.
