KarPower Is Another Untimely Wasteful Effort By Hon. Buah

The Power Minister, Kwabena Donkor Sarcastically in a speech praised Hon Buah, "at whose dynamism and leadership signed for the Karpower deal".

But those of us in the energy sector, especially Power knew that President Mahama was deceived to believe that the Karpower is the solution.

The link below depicts when I wrote to the President about this project on 30 September, 2014,

http://www.modernghana.com/news/571844/1/jacob-osei-yeboah-writes-to-prez-mahama-towards-en.html

"If the total Inefficiency of VRA, GRIDCO and ECG which is about 40% if not improved, the consumer will have to pay in proportion to the incremented total capacity of the energy generation mix."

Karpower is bringing in additional 225MW to the current generation capacity of about 2800MW and so the incremented total generation capacity will be 3025MW.

90MW of the Karpower will go waste. At 2800MW capacity, 1120MW goes waste and at incremented 3025MW capacity, 1210MW will go waste. So at anytime that generation increases, consumers would have to pay a higher waste capacity cost.

So the fan fare of the Karpower should rather be singing of dirges by consumers. If one argues that the government subsidies power, it is a great drain to the country at this IMF sanctioned economy.

As argued, if the government had embarked on energy efficiency Programme by GRIDCO, VRA and ECG to have redeemed 10% of the losses, about 280MW of the current capacity of 2800MW would have been available to the consumers. There will not be additional fuel cost only of $7M/month excluding operational cost.

The Karpower plant analysis will be a great depressive drain on our critical economic sustenance. A higher power cost is disincentive to Ghanaian industries' global competitiveness. Such industrial disadvantage will increase unemployment to the youth. The $7M fuel will affect payment of workers' wages and salaries. Dumsor cannot also be solved by Karpower.

The Government must endeavor to employ energy conservation and efficiency strategies that can inure higher cost benefits to consumers and power generation and distribution companies.

Ghana will be better of economically and socially by the untimely and wasteful venture of Karpower plant.