Ghana has 2.6 days of fuel left but supplies are on the way — Energy Minister

Minister of Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor

The Minister of Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor, has revealed that Ghana’s current stock of fuel for power generation can last only 2.6 days.

He assured that the situation is under control, as additional supplies are expected imminently.

Speaking during a meeting with the Parliamentary Select Committee on Energy on Thursday, the Minister confirmed that emergency fuel purchases have been made, with significant support from the Ministry of Finance. “We have 2.6 days of fuel left,” he stated, adding, “fortunately, we have procured 450,000 barrels of fuel and it is arriving this weekend.”

“And so, yes, well, it is true that we have 2.6 days of stock, the good news is that we have 450,000 barrels coming in. And so we shouldn’t panic. We would be okay,” the minister clarified, dismissing concerns of an imminent power crisis.

Mr. Jinapor highlighted the urgent financial demands facing the sector, stating that Ghana needs approximately US$1.1 billion to procure liquid fuel and keep power plants operational. “We require about $1.1 billion to procure liquid fuel alone,” he emphasized. He pointed out that this cost is not embedded in the electricity tariff structure and must be borne by the central government.

“Unfortunately, the liquid fuel is not part of the tariff structure, and so we will be buying close to $15 billion of liquid fuel, and that has to be paid by the central government,” he explained.

The Energy Minister also warned of potential disruptions if critical obligations are not met. He disclosed that Karpower, one of Ghana’s major power producers, has threatened to shut down its operations over unpaid debts. “Karpower has just sent us a letter that by 18th, they will shut down the plant because we owe them more than $400 million. IPPs alone, we owe them $1.7 billion, and so it’s serious,” he stressed.

Mr. Jinapor further outlined the structural challenges deepening the crisis, including poor revenue collection by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and a lack of reserve margins in the pricing structure. “ECG is unable to collect all the monies, and so you are having a deficit of about 2 billion cedis every month when it comes to ECG’s collections. When you add that deficit and you add the fuel, which is not part of the pass-through, you are looking at over 30 billion,” he noted.

Despite the grim financial outlook, the Minister assured Ghanaians that government efforts are underway to stabilize the situation and avoid any major disruptions to the country’s power supply.