Mr Richard Gyan-Mensah, Deputy Energy and Green Transition Minister-designate, has supported the call to privatise certain aspects of the Electricity Company of Ghana’s (ECG) operations to enhance efficiency and ensure quality service delivery.
Speaking during his vetting by the Appointments Committee of Parliament on, Mr Gyan-Mensah asserted that engaging a private entity to take charge of the ECG’s metering and billing systems would enhance efficiency and rake-in the needed revenue for the government.
The move, he said, would also help in reducing the ECG’s commercial losses and invariably bring down electricity tariffs.
Asked whether the nation has returned to the days of dumsor (power outages), the nominee indicated there was no power rationing now, however, the ongoing gas pipeline maintenance works being undertaken by the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo) had affected gas supply to some thermal plants for power generation.
Mr Gyan-Mensah, also the Member of Parliament for Gomoa West in the Central Region, was confident that when the maintenance works were completed by next month, the country would no longer experience any power outages.
Asked whether the nation would abandon its unexploited fossil fuel sources given the global leaders call to transition towards renewable energy, the nominee said energy transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy sources was a gradual process and that the nation would continue to exploit its fossil fuels while measures would be put in place to tap the renewable energy sources in the longer term.
On how the nation could tap funds under the carbon credit facility, Mr Gyan-Mensah stated that government would encourage the planting of commercial trees across the country and was optimistic that the setting up of the Tree Crop Development Authority by the previous government was in the right direction.
The nominee pledged his commitment to supporting the substantive minister to implement the policies of President John Mahama’s government in the energy sector.
Source: GNA
