We can only provide very short interval updates, not fixed load-shedding timetable – Energy Minister

The Minister for Energy, John Abdulai Jinapor, has said government cannot provide a fixed load-shedding timetable because the current electricity situation remains highly fluid, with engineers working continuously to restore generation capacity and stabilise supply.

Speaking at the Government Accountability Series in Accra on Monday, April 27, Mr Jinapor explained that power updates are being issued in real time due to frequent changes in available generation.

“The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), under the management of Engineer Julius Kpekpena, has been publishing regional updates, and in collaboration with the Ministry of Information, we're even going to make it more available for everybody to see what is happening.

“But because it is fluid, because it is not like the regular load-shedding where you are aware that for a foreseeable period of time you cannot restore power, we cannot do weekly publications,” he said.

He noted that technical teams are working around the clock to bring offline plants back into operation, making long-term scheduling difficult.

“In fact, engineers are working around the clock within this week; they are pushing to restore all the plants back online. And so we can only provide very short interval updates,” he added.

Mr Jinapor further explained that even short-term schedules are subject to rapid changes as additional generation capacity comes online.

“Indeed this morning, we published a schedule for 6am to 6pm. This afternoon they've had to review it because one more plant has come on with about 140 megawatts,” he said.

He stressed that government would remain transparent with the public regarding challenges in the power sector.

“So we will not live in denial. When we face challenges, we will tell Ghanaians,” he stated.

His remarks follow heightened public concern over electricity supply stability, particularly after the recent fire incident at the Akosombo Power Control Centre and ongoing management changes within the ECG.

The briefing also comes after his directive for the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) to step aside to allow investigations into the incident, which disrupted parts of the national grid and led to outages in several regions.