Checks by Joy News have revealed that the recent power outages being experienced across the country is due to persistent problems with the Atuabo gas processing plant.

This comes after the Power Ministry issued a statement yesterday explaining the power challenges is because of low production of lean gas from Atuabo in the Western region.

This has resulted in the Aboadze power enclave struggling to produce enough power.

But Joy News checks have revealed that the primary cause of the problem is the Atuabo gas processing plant which has suffered major technical challenges with authorities trying to manage the problem.

In light of this, government has reactivated its long standing agreement with Ivory Coast to provide Ghana 143 MW of power daily.

Joy News sources in the power sector have indicated that the agreement is to help provide electricity for industries and businesses but this emergency power ends at 5:00pm.

Checks reveal also the AMERI plant is producing 100 mw of power which is less than half of what it has to provide.

For the Aboadze enclave, TICO and TAPCO are running on light crude oil but some of the plants are also switching from the gas to crude.

However the switch to crude comes with its cost.

For all the plants running on crude, the nation needs about 35,000 barrels per day to produce enough power.

At the current world market price of $48 per barrel, Ghana is spending $1.68 million a day to produce power to meet current demands.

What is uncertain is whether there are enough funds to sustain this option and also how long it will take for the FPSO challenge to be resolved.