The Minister of Energy, John Jinapor, has sounded another alarm over a looming nationwide power crisis, revealing that the country has less than three days’ worth of liquid fuel to power its electricity-generating plants.
Addressing the Parliamentary Committee on Energy on Thursday, May 15, Mr Jinapor stated that the Ministry is racing against time to secure billions of cedis needed to pay for new fuel supplies already ordered.
“My headache is how to get the next parcel of liquid fuel. The fuel we have will take us 2.6 days,” he told MPs.
The Minister disclosed that while some fuel has been procured on credit, the lack of immediate funding threatens to paralyze power generation across the country.
Mr Jinapor also stated that the Ministry of Finance is being engaged, but its financial constraints limit what can be done.
“We have placed an order for fuel, but it has to be paid. We’re working with the Ministry of Finance to pay, but the truth is that the Ministry also has its limits. We will be going to cabinet to discuss how we can improve the sector,” Mr Jinapor said.
The Minister hinted at renewed efforts to involve the private sector in managing part of the operations of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) for a long-term sustainable solution.
“It does not entirely solve the problem, but it takes us to another level because if the collections are reduced from the 40% to 5%, it means that we will be collecting more,” he said.
Mr Jinapor also stressed that Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) must honour their obligation to pay electricity bills and account for them in their budgets.
He added that even critical institutions, including those in health, education, security, and the presidency, require proper budgetary allocation for their energy consumption.
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