Managing Editor of the Insight
Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., has charged authorities in the energy
sector to integrate the production of biogas into generating power for
the nation. This he believes could go a long way to alleviate the energy
crisis that has since bedeviled the nation.
He explained that
the introduction of biogas to serve as supplement to the generation of
electricity by the Volta River Authority will help remedy the
unremitting blackouts in the country.
According to him, other
developed countries run on biogas as a component of energy supply, and
therefore wondered why the country has not yet opted for such
initiative. He therefore bemoaned the lack of ingenuity on the
part of the energy companies since according to him, it is about time
the country generates power via processing of biogas.
“What at
all do we need to generate biogas from human excreta?...Biogas, biogas;
what at all do we need before we can generate biogas?” he rhetorically
questioned.
He also appealed for the establishment of solar panels to complement the energy capacity in the country.
He
blurted: “We are here in Ghana. We are living on the equator…we cannot
erect solar [panels]. That’s incredible…There is a shortfall, meaning
the generation does not cover anything…We are just wasting money.”
The
seasoned journalist also lashed out at government agencies and
Ministries blaming them partly for the energy crisis in the country. He
chided government for not amortizing its debts to the energy suppliers
in the country in order to assist them supply enough power to various
communities in the country.
Speaking on the issue of the current
energy challenges that the nation is grappling with, Kwesi Pratt, who
was contributing to a panel discussion on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo”,
ascribed the electricity fluctuations to the indebtedness of government
agencies, Ministries and the energy companies to the ECG.
He
disclosed that the Volta River Authority (VRA), Electricity Company
of Ghana (ECG) together with GRIDCO have run into debts; a cause for the
dwindling power supply.
He therefore expressed worry saying
“Government departments, Ministries and Agencies who draft a budget for
all their utilities yearly, are also indebted to the Electricity Company
of Ghana to a tune of Gh230 million cedis. GRIDCO owes VRA, ECG is
indebted to GRIDCO and so on; so, meaning the money to do major
operations is inadequate and the government too is not financing them.”
He
however wondered why the nation is still saddled with energy problems
and also accused state authorities for not taking supervisory
responsibility over the operations of the energy companies; VRA, ECG and
GRIDCO, and so, issue sanctions to them when they fail to supply power
to the country.
Meanwhile, the Volta River Authority has projected next month to find a lasting solution to the rampant blackouts.
Head
of Corporate Affairs of VRA, Sam Fletcher, assured the nation that the
Authority is working assiduously to ensure that the thermal plant with
an installed capacity of 132 megawatts becomes fully operational by the
end of February to ameliorate the enegy situation in the country. |
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