The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) and the Energy Minister are facing mounting pressure from Parliament following a series of recurring nationwide power outages, a situation that has ignited concerns within the nation’s energy sector. Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament, Collins Adomako-Mensah, has formally requested a meeting between GRIDCo and the Ministry of Energy, demanding a comprehensive explanation for the escalating disruptions impacting the country’s power supply.
Mr. Adomako-Mensah, speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story, stated that the frequency of these outages – the second major disruption within a month – is a serious cause for alarm and necessitates immediate parliamentary scrutiny. He emphasized the need for Parliament to directly engage with the relevant agencies responsible for the country’s power transmission system to uncover the root causes of the problem.
“I’m just hoping that as Parliament reconvenes on an emergency situation for Monday, I just spoke to my chairman. I think we have to call GRIDCo and the Minister to appear before the Energy Committee to give us exactly where the problems are,” he asserted. He further detailed that, although power was restored relatively quickly after both incidents, the repeated outages demonstrate a systemic failure to address the underlying issues within the power system.
Mr. Adomako-Mensah revealed that the committee has not yet been presented with the report on the earlier power system incident, despite GRIDCo indicating that the report had been submitted to the Minister. He stated that the committee’s assessment of the report has been limited to social media commentary and news platforms, hindering their ability to independently analyze the findings and determine the extent of the damage.
According to Mr. Adomako-Mensah, when GRIDCo presented its findings before the committee in connection with an audit report, members questioned the company about the investigation’s conclusions. GRIDCo subsequently indicated that the report had been submitted to the Minister and ruled out sabotage as a primary cause of the earlier incident.
However, Mr. Adomako-Mensah countered that the lack of complete access to the report makes it difficult for Parliament to thoroughly assess the disruptions and determine whether the recommended corrective measures have been effectively implemented. He stressed that the issue has intensified significantly following the most recent blackout, which has severely impacted several regions of the country, and demands immediate attention from all Ghanaians.
According to data released by the Ghana Statistical Service, the grid outages have impacted over 30% of the country’s industrial and commercial sectors, highlighting the critical importance of a stable and reliable electricity supply for economic growth and national security. The Ministry of Energy, in a statement released on the Ministry’s website, indicated that the government is committed to addressing the situation and will be working with GRIDCo and Parliament to implement a robust plan to improve the grid’s stability and resilience. The government has also announced a review of the energy sector’s regulatory framework, with the aim of ensuring better oversight and accountability.
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Source: Adom Online
