The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs have said government should have known that the cycle of energy crisis was bound to repeat itself in 2007.

They described government’s handling of the current energy crisis as smacking of “inefficiency, ineptitude and irresponsibility” saying the crisis was avoidable.

Moving a Private Members’ motion on the energy situation, Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, NDC- Tamale South, said having come from the energy crisis of 1983 and 1987, it was only prudent for government to have known that the cycle was bound to repeat itself in 2007.

“The government has no excuse whatsoever and could have moved fast from plunging this country into the darkness we currently find ourselves in.”

Mr. Iddrisu said there was evidence from the Volta River Authority (VRA) and other independent bodies such as the World Bank on the state of the country’s energy capacity before August last year.

He said during earlier energy crisis, the then National Democratic Congress (NDC) government alerted the country and industry on the future prospects, but the New Patriotic Party government had not done thus pushing industry and Ghanaians into severe difficulty.

He said the NDC made the wise move in diversifying by shifting to thermal energy, stressing that Ghana was currently using 50 per cent of present energy from thermal sources.

“I wonder what would have happened if the government then had not made the wise move of diversifying energy sources,” he queried.

New Patriotic Party members in Parliament, however, countered arguments from the minority on government’s handling of the energy situation and tabled an amended motion, saying they were commending government and urging it to implement plans put in place to generate more power.

Dr Kwame Ampofo, NDC- South Dayi said a critical examination of all the State of the Nation Address by President John Agyekum Kufuor only paid lip service to building a solid energy base for the country.

Source: GNA