Energy Analyst and Executive Director of Energy Policy and Research firm- KITE, Ishmael Agyekum, has said government will not be able to resolve the protracted energy crisis by 2015.
The Energy Minister, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, has promised the problem will be over by 2015 when gas from the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant and other projects come on stream.
He said gas from Atuabo would minimise the volume and the cost of crude oil the country imported to power its thermal plants.
But speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Ishmael Agyekum said the short term solution to the current crisis will not suffice.
“I know that there are developments that are ongoing and there are plans that are being considered, but I have my doubts that these power plans are going to come on stream by next year,” he explained.
Offering a short term solution to Ghana’s energy crises, he however advised that the country conserves and uses energy efficiently, to control the situation and have the country’s systems running.
Mr. Agyekum further emphasized the need for the stakeholders in the energy sector to ensure that the country has adequate supply of energy saying “if we want to develop, we want to grow, we want to do anything as a country, we have to ensure that we have adequate capacity to meet not just the current demand but also future and the suppressed demand that we have in the system.”
He also advised major stakeholders in the energy sector to take the bold decision and make the right investments in the energy sector.
The country has been facing major energy crises in recent times. The problem has generated public outcry with residents in the various parts of the country complaining about the problem.
The World Bank, among others, has also predicted that the problem will last for some time.
