As if the current load shedding debacle is not enough, consumers of electricity across the country may have to endure unannounced power outages for a while longer.
This is because the Electricity Company of Ghana says it is unable to publish the load shedding timetable for consumers to know when their electricity will go off.
Public Relations Officer of the company, Dan Adjei Larbi says they have not received any information from the Volta River Authority on the quantum of power they would be working with.
Mr Larbi explained the company needed that quantum of power to be able to draw a timetable on which areas to go off and at what day and time.
“If we are given a definite quantum that we must shed at any time, within six hours the guide will come out,” he insisted.
When he was asked if they have made any effort to contact the VRA to provide them with that information, he said “that is not how it works.” They do not have to force the VRA to give them that information, he added.
His comments contradict that of the Head of Communications of the VRA, Sam Fletcher, who insisted in an interview on Monday that the ECG does have a timetable for the outages.
Ghanaians across the country are complaining about the erratic power outages currently being experienced.
Industries have been worst hit by the crisis with some business owners losing lots of production hours.
The Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) has charged the power providers to explain the cause of the recent unannounced outages.
In a response the VRA says it is due to production shortfalls due to regular maintenance works.
But the Director of Public Relations at the PURC Nana Yaa Jantua told Joy News the explanation is not satisfactory.
She said the VRA must go further to tell Ghanaians which plants are off, why are they off and when they will be on.
She also complained about the lack of schedule for the load shedding. Nana Yaa Jantuah says the PURC will follow up to find out which of the power plants are off.
Meanwhile, the Africa Centre for Energy Policy says the PURC cannot feign ignorance about the causes of crisis.
Mohammed Amin Adam said the lack of planning is the major cause of the problem in the country.
“We are not planning well. Why should we allow a number of thermal plants to go on maintenance at the same time.”
He accused the PURC which is mandated by law to hold accountable the power sector agencies of failing to do its job.
He wondered why the PURC will allow about three power plants to go on maintenance at the same time.
