The Chief Executive Officer of the Independent Power Producers (IPP), Dr Elikplim Kwabla Apetorgbor, has hinted that three power plants are set to shut down due to debts owed to the IPPs.
According to him, the government has failed to honour its promises to pay the $259 million debt owed by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
Speaking on JoyFM’s Top Story on Tuesday, Dr Apetorgbor warned that if the issue remains unresolved, the three key power plants will cease operations by next week.
“If nothing is done by the end of this week, next week, three key power plants will shut down,” he warned.
While he declined to name the affected plants, he stressed, “For now, it’s confidential but I can tell you if nothing is done, three key IPPs will be shutting down as well.”
Addressing questions about reconciliation efforts, Dr Apetorgbor dismissed their impact, asserting that reconciliation would not change the situation.
“For us, we are up to date with our numbers so we know what we are talking about. Government does not even know how to account for the power sector figures… so you don’t even have to trust figures coming from them,” he stated.
The Finance Minister, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, had announced that Ghana’s power supply is expected to stabilise following a renegotiated agreement between the government and Sunon Asogli.
This new deal aims to resolve power disruptions caused by financial disagreements between Sunon Asogli and the ECG, which saw the former shut operations temporarily.
Dr Adam confirmed that an agreement had been reached, assuring the public of improved power stability.
He added that this renegotiated deal with Sunon Asogli forms part of a broader restructuring initiative involving other IPPs.
But responding to this, Dr Apetorgbor questioned the authenticity of the Minister’s claims.
He argued that if the Finance Minister’s statements were accurate, the public would see evidence next week, as three additional IPPs get set to shut down.
“I have made it clear that those statements he made were actually political. He cannot produce any agreement that he has signed with any IPP. If he has, let him share it with the public,” he added.
