Limited gas supply triggers nationwide power outage in Ghana

Most parts of Ghana have been plunged into darkness due to the lack of gas to power the machines used to generate electricity in the country.

Power utility Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) says the situation has caused “a 550 MW peak hour supply shortfall” at the Tema power station near the capital, Accra.

The worst economic crisis in a generation

The major outage began Thursday evening. Ghana is currently going through its worst economic crisis in a generation.

Power cuts are common in Ghana, but this is the worst national outage in two years.

A June study said the country's current energy supply was "extremely unhealthy and teetering toward a power crisis."

The energy situation, which could worsen in the years to come, has been exacerbated by the country's financial difficulties, according to the study by the Center for Socio-Economic Studies (CSS).

A gas supply problem

In July, independent power producers in the country threatened to suspend operations due to arrears owed to them by the state-owned Ghana Electricity Company.

In a statement on Thursday, GRIDCo, the power operator, said electricity supplies to consumers in some parts of Ghana would be reduced due to "limited gas supply" from the Tema power station.

“The inconvenience caused is deeply regretted,” added the press release.

The power company did not say what caused the gas supply problem, or how long it would take for normal supply to resume.

For several years, Ghana has been experiencing power cuts commonly known as “dumsor”, which means “on and off” in the Akan language.

This West African country gets much of its electricity from hydroelectric and thermal sources, but these are often poorly maintained.