Ghana To Experience Power Cut For Three Weeks As Nigeria Reduces Gas Supply

Ghana’s state-owned electricity company, Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), has announced a three-week interruption in power supply.

The development is due to a reduction in gas supply from Nigeria, a key source of fuel for the country’s power plants.

The West African country has been experiencing power shortages, known as “dumsor,” which means “on and off” in the Akan language, for several years.

The gas reduction, which began on Wednesday, is attributed to maintenance works being conducted in Nigeria.

“The maintenance has caused a reduction in power generation capacity across Ghana, prompting the need for load shedding to manage electricity distribution efficiently.

“The reduction in gas supply is due to maintenance works being undertaken by a gas supplier in Nigeria and is projected to last three weeks,” the ECG said on Thursday evening.

On Wednesday, the West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo) said it was experiencing a drop in gas volumes available for transportation after one of its producers in Nigeria shut down its facility for maintenance.

This caused a significant reduction in gas supply to the WAPCo, which transports gas to customers in Togo, Benin, and Ghana.

“The current situation is entirely out of WAPCo’s control.

“We expect normalcy to return after the maintenance activities,” the regional power utility stated.

The ECG assured that it is working with other stakeholders in the power sector to optimize available resources and minimize the impact on consumers.