Dumsor Fears Ease As Sunon Asogli Power Plant Comes Back Online After Government Support

• Sunon Asogli Power Ghana Limited has resumed operations at its 560-megawatt power plant after earlier being forced to shutdown
• The plant received emergency funding from the government after concerns about money owed it by the state
• In a statement to YEN.com.gh, a Senior Research Analyst at the Institute of Energy Security said the systemic power challenges would still persist

Sunon Asogli Power Ghana Limited has resumed operations at its 560-megawatt power plant after emergency funding intervention by the government.

The plant shut down last week due to financial constraints but resumed operations on Monday, November 25, 2024, at 3 PM.

In a statement, the company expressed gratitude to some key government officials for facilitating the release of emergency funds.

Sunon Asogli also said it submitted the final version of its Restructuring Terms Sheet to the Ministry of Finance and the Electricity Company of Ghana in August 2024.

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It also apologised for the impact of its recent shutdown, which disrupted power supply across parts of the country.

In a statement to YEN.com.gh, a Senior Research Analyst at the Institute of Energy Security, Xatse Derick Emmanuel, noted that this update is only papering over the cracks in the power sector.

"While it alleviates some immediate pressure on the grid, it is not sufficient to resolve the systemic power outages entirely. The electricity deficit in Ghana is a multifaceted issue involving generation capacity, financial inefficiencies, and operational challenges across the power value chain."

Concerns about further shutdowns

After Sunon Asogli shut down, there were concerns that more plants would follow.

However, the Electricity Company of Ghana refuted reports that this was about to happen.

The Independent Power Producers had warned that three critical power plants were facing imminent shutdown due to accumulating unpaid debts.

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It said the government had defaulted on a $259 million payment owed by the Electricity Company of Ghana.

Akufo-Addo launches 515MW plant at Kpone

YEN.com.gh reported that President Akufo-Addo commissioned a 515-megawatt power plant to ease the intermittent power supply challenges.

Akufo-Addo noted that the $1.2 billion Ghana Bridge Power Project at Kpone would help end the country's power crisis.

He also assured stakeholders that the energy sector debt crisis would soon be addressed.

Source: YEN.com.gh