The Director for the Centre for Environmental Management and Sustainable Energy, Benjamin Nsiah, says Ghana does not have the resources needed to immediately fix the problem causing the recent nationwide power outages.

Describing the situation as worrying, Mr Nsiah said the demand for power in the Volta Enclave has increased over time, but the infrastructure supplying it, which is about 40 years old, is not up to the task.

Mr Nsiah, who was speaking on Adom TV’s weekend show, Nanwotwi Yi, said, “The Akosombo waterline was constructed in the 1980s, so the demand outweighs the supply. When the demand continues to increase, it will cause a trip or have an effect on the control room.”

He said this is a serious challenge, but Ghana might not have the financial capacity to fix it now.

“As to whether we have the financial resources to resolve it immediately is another thing, and even if it can be resolved, we may need about a year or so to sustainably resolve this particular issue. So we will face some of these challenges periodically,” he said.

Mr Nsiah also urged the Energy Ministry to be careful with the kind of information it shares with the public.

“The first time the control room faced a challenge, the minister told us the issue had been resolved, but he should have told us it was a temporary resolution. Because he didn’t do that, we all thought everything had been resolved until the system tripped again. So communication is very key,” he said.

Mr Nsiah further urged system planners and managers to consider setting up parallel or dual redundant lines, so that when one goes off, the other can substitute.