Executive Director of the African Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), Ben Boakye, has warned that Ghana will continue to experience intermittent power outages because the country’s electricity system is not robust enough to guarantee stable supply.
Speaking on Newsfile on JoyNews on Saturday, May 2, Mr Boakye said the recurring power cuts across parts of the country reflect deep structural weaknesses within the energy sector, particularly in generation and distribution.
He explained that the current system does not meet the reliability standards required to ensure uninterrupted electricity for consumers, making outages in communities inevitable in the short term.
According to him, while transformer faults are often blamed for the situation, the issue is frequently misunderstood. He clarified that transformers are not always “dead” when replaced but are often upgraded when demand in a locality exceeds their capacity.
“In a typical power system, when a transformer can no longer handle the load in a growing community, it is replaced with a higher-capacity one and the old unit is redeployed to an area with lower demand,” he said.
He added that utilities also have the option of splitting electrical loads or installing additional transformers to improve voltage stability and supply.
Mr Boakye, however, questioned the lack of transparency surrounding transformer replacements, noting that although large numbers are reportedly procured, there is little public information on what happens to the old ones.
He stressed that the core challenge goes beyond transformers, pointing instead to generation deficits as a major cause of outages. He warned that any significant drop in power generation will inevitably result in load shedding.
“There is no way you can take off substantial generation capacity and not expect outages,” he stated.
He further called for improved communication from authorities, especially during periods of power shortfalls, suggesting that clear load-shedding schedules would better inform the public.
Mr Boakye maintained that although efforts may be made to address the challenges over the medium to long term, Ghanaians should brace for continued disruptions in power supply.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com
