The former Member of Parliament for Dormaa East , who was a member of the Mines and Energy Committee, Paul Apreku Twum Barimah, has called on the NDC government to urgently publish a comprehensive and transparent plan to manage Ghana’s worsening energy situation, following reports of a significant loss in power generation capacity.
The concern follows a recent fire outbreak at a substation operated by the Ghana GRID Company Limited at Akosombo, which has reportedly reduced the country’s available power by approximately 1,000 megawatts.
According to Paul Twum Barimah, the decision by the Energy Minister ,John Jinapor, to form a Committee to handle the situation is unnecessary at this point since that wouldn’t in anyway solve the problem and rather worsen it . He said the Committee propsed by the Energy Minister is only being formed so its members would enjoy sitting allowances and other benefits at the cost of the state.
He instead , wants government to immediately import modern state of the art, High powered generators and other equipments to help restore the Akosombo substation to Operation to end the Dumsor and save businesses from collapsing
Ghana’s installed capacity, previously estimated at about 5,200 megawatts, is now believed to have dropped to roughly 4,200 megawatts due to the incident. Even prior to this setback, the country struggled to generate sufficient power to meet demand, resulting in intermittent outages. The current deficit, analysts warn, could push the nation back into a prolonged period of “dumsor.”
Mr. Twum Barimah cautioned that the loss in generation capacity poses a serious threat to businesses and households, with potential ripple effects on economic productivity and livelihoods.
“We expect the government to come out with a clear-cut mechanism or programme to manage this situation,” he stated. The repair works at the damaged substation must be fast-tracked to help restore Akosombo to full production capacity. This is an emergency situation and and must be handled under a state of urgency.
He further urged President John Dramani Mahama and the Energy Minister, John Abdulai Jinapor, to provide immediate clarity on measures being implemented to stabilise the power sector.
A key recommendation from the former legislator is the introduction of a transparent load-shedding timetable to guide electricity distribution during the crisis period.
Over the past month, several parts of the country have experienced persistent and largely unannounced power cuts, disrupting both domestic life and commercial operations. The situation has been further aggravated by recent increases in electricity tariffs, intensifying public frustration over reliability and value for money.
Mr. Twum Barimah emphasised that with reduced capacity, it is critical for authorities to ensure fair and efficient distribution of available power to sustain economic activity and maintain social stability.
Although Ghana’s installed capacity once stood at approximately 5,260 megawatts, structural inefficiencies, infrastructure constraints, and supply challenges have long prevented full utilisation.
For many citizens, however, the immediate concern is the resurgence of erratic power supply. As dumsor fears grow, calls are intensifying for decisive leadership, transparency, and a clear roadmap to restore consistent and reliable electricity nationwide.
Prior to entering the House of Parliament in the year 2020, , Paul Twum Barimah worked in various capacities in Ghana’s Energy sector and in some of the prominent multinational upstream oil and gas production firms operating in the country
