No ‘dumsor’ despite shutdown of Atuabo Gas- Jinapor

The Deputy Minister of Power, John Jinapor, has assured of stable power to electricity consumers despite maintenance exercise being carried out by the Ghana Gas company on the Atuabo Gas Plant.

This is a sharp turn from earlier assertions he made that the country may experience load shedding, popularly called 'dumsor' due to the maintenance exercise.

According to him, the Power Ministry and its stakeholders have put in place robust measures to prevent the usual power cuts the country goes through during such exercises.

Speaking to Citi Business News at the sidelines of the opening of Ghana International Power, Electrical and Electronic Expo, Mr. Jinapor called for calm among Ghanaians as the situation normalizes.

“The gas processing plant is down as I talk to you; they went down around 23:00 GMT yesterday in the evening. So as I speak to you we are not receiving any gas from the Atuabo processing plant but the good news is that based on the measures that we have put in place its appears that we are smooth out,” he said.

He stated that engineers are in the process of converting some of the thermal plants into light crude.

“So we will continue to appeal to Ghanaians to remain calm while we take steps to normalize the situation. I must say the situation is improving day by day,” he said.

Comparing the situation to last year, Mr. Jinapor stressed that the energy situation has improved.

“If you compare the situation to last year you will realize that this year is far better than it was last year where by this time we had power outages due to the maintenance works” he said.

Ghana gas shut down plant
The Ghana National Gas Company Limited last night shutdown the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant for planned maintenance.

The exercise is expected to last for 10 calendar days ending Saturday 10th September, 2016.

Meanwhile the Chairman of the Energy Commission Ghana Hon. Dr. Kwame Ampofo speaking at the opening ceremony  the Powerelec urge exhibitors and other participants in Powerelec (Ghana) to explore  business opportunities that exist in the sub-region, using Ghana as the Gateway to the rest of West Africa.

“Please take advantage of the presence of your Ghanaian counterparts (VRA, GRIDCO, ECG, NEDCO, Ministry of Power, Energy Commission, etc) to understand the vast opportunities that exist in this country and go on to make business deals that would be of mutual benefit to all,” he said.

The Ghanaian power sector is set to benefit from a team of experts and specialists from Dubai, India and Ghana who have partnered to create an international platform for companies from power generation, electrical and industrial electronics.

The conference is expected to among other things offer lasting solution to managers of the power sector on ways to address the erratic and unstable power supply that has led to the collapse of many businesses in the country.

Regional Power Barons Forum will also be held alongside this year's Powerelec  that will focus on the six West African Countries; thus, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Cameron.

The conference will be represented by Power Ministers and directors from the respective countries.

According to organizers, the conference “will offer a forum where about 200 prospective investors will meet and share ideas on setting up businesses and investing in the sub region''.

The major focus on the three day expo will be on Solar and new energy sources.

The Show has already attracted international companies from Germany, Turkey, India, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, Croatia and South Africa.

–
By: Norvan Acquah – Hayford/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana