The Energy Crisis - Ghanaians Turn

A few years ago, one of the most vibrant economies of the world, California, was nearly brought to its knees by an energy crisis. Arnold Schwarznegers's rise to the governorship of this very prosperous state partially rode on the back of this crisis.

Last weekend, though symbolic, there was a major switch-off in Australia's biggest city, Sydney. The switch-off was to focus attention on dwindling energy sources brought about by the world's changing weather patterns.

It was also to bring home to people the need to conserve power. Famous landmarks like the Sydney Opera House all were symbolically plunged into darkness. Australia, the driest continent has been in the grips of a drought these past few years and conservation is very much on the country's development agenda.

For over two decades Ghana has been having uncomfortable close encounters with the weather, leading to drastic reductions in the country's main hydro-electric dam's generating capacity. Now the dam is approaching near collapse due to a prolonged drought and the country is in dire need of alternative sources of power for the short, medium and eventual long terms.

Even without the problem of an emptying dam, the country's energy needs had far outstripped the dam's capacity over the years. There was already a shortfall of about 500 megawatts but between the Volta River Authority (VRA) and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) they were able to juggle and kept things going with planned and unplanned if debilitating load-shedding.

Things have gone from bad to worse and even as the government is searching around to find alternatives to stem the looming meltdown so is the fault-finding also gaining in intensity. Government's efforts have been derisively written off by an energy expert as merely trying to rely on "toys" for the job.

There's intense debate raging in sections of the media that though the current electric energy squeeze Ghana is facing can be attributed to an "Act of God", some timely human intervention could have ameliorated the situation. To this end "some people must answer" for their acts of omission and commission, say those who think "heads must roll".

But the question is whose head(s) must roll and how would that impact positively on the problem at hand? And it is a problem, probably the biggest challenge to the country's economic development since independence 50 years ago. Did the energy problem creep silently or did it happen suddenly? As the search for solutions intensifies, so does the blame game.

Should blame be put on the Rural Electrification Programme for taking power to consumers who cannot pay for it, thereby denying vital economic sectors that would need it?

Should blame be put on the Aboadze Thermal Plant for being such a guzzler of crude oil? Should blame be put on the Osagyefo Barge which has so far remained a white elephant? Should blame be put on the "toys" being put together by the government as a short term measure?

Should blame be put on the West Africa Gas Pipeline Project which has so far failed to deliver?

Should blame be put on a public that is totally irresponsible when it comes to power conservation?

Should blame be put on the Electric Company of Ghana which has conceded that a good 25% of its supplies go to waste due to leakage, theft and illegal connections?

Should blame be put on the consumer who over the years has not been paying economic tariffs for electric power?

But even as the blame game rages, many ordinary Ghanaians ADM spoke to within the Accra city area said their eyes are turned heavenwards, not merely in supplication, but in expectation of the rains that would raise the level of the dam, which would restore power to some normalcy. The rainy season is just opening and for the Akosombo Dam, that's really what matters - a copious rainy season.

Link to allAfrica.com: Ghana: The Energy Crisis - Ghanaians Turn (Page 1 of 1)