New company to manage electricity company

Story: Boahene Asamoah

A New company to manage and operate the national electricity grid system is to be operationalised soon, a senior government official has disclosed.
The company, to be named Ghana Grid Company (GRIGCO), is part of the government’s effort to restructure the Volta River Authority.
The Deputy Minister of Energy, Mr Kwame Ampofo Twumasi, who made this known at the National Energy Symposium, said a Chief Executive Officer of the company had been appointed, adding that “it is hoped that this development will speed up the restructuring programme in VRA”.
The minister did not, however, explain what would become of the VRA after the reforms.
He said “the attainment of reliable electricity supply in Ghana has been as illusive as the full implementation of the power sector reform programme”, adding that “old habits are difficult to die”.
Mr Twumasi underscored the importance of change and reforms in the energy sector, admitting however, that “it is very difficult to embrace reform or change even though change provides the vehicle to development”.
The minister stated that the decision to reform the energy sector was taken about 10 years ago, but stressed that the implementation had been delayed, adding that the process of putting in place and implementing the requisite standard and regulations had been constrained.
He mentioned that the government was stepping up the development of renewable energy especially solar by integrating solar power into the construction industry, and stressed its commitment to reform the power sector.
The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, in an address read on his behalf by the Director of Legal Affairs at the ministry, Mr Paul Asimenu, said government policy in the energy sector was to ensure a reliable supply for high quality energy services.
He said the government had this year spent GH¢349.4 million (¢3.5 trillion), representing a 100 per cent increase over the 2006 figure.
“The high expenditure in 2007 is mainly attributed to the implementation of short to medium-term measures to address the energy crisis and expand the energy generation capacity of the country to forestall the recurrence of the situation in future,” the minister said.
Mr Baah-Wiredu called for pragmatic programmes to address the energy shortfalls in the country and said the government had adopted strategies such as encouraging competition in the energy markets to achieve efficiency, attracting investments to the sector, and ensuring energy supply and reliability and productive uses of electricity in rural areas.
The minister said the restructuring of the power grid to a shared system would allow individuals and companies to contribute to the national power generating system and could move the country further in its development agenda.
“The blend of solar, marine, nuclear, hydro and biogas can be an effective approach to the attainment of sustainable energy supply,”, the minister stated.