ASEC warns against load-shedding timetable

The Africa Sustainable Energy Centre (ASEC) has advised government and power sector stakeholders not to introduce a load-shedding timetable, urging them instead to fix the underlying problems in Ghana’s electricity system. According to the Centre, increasing calls for scheduled outages due to recent power disruptions could normalize a problem that should be solved through better planning, coordination, and system design. Executive Director of ASEC, Justice Ohene-Akoto, said the current situation demands long-term solutions rather than temporary measures. “The situation should not be managed with timetables but resolved at its root,” he stated, stressing the need to strengthen the system—especially through redundancy to prevent failures from spreading. ASEC explained that the ongoing power challenges are not mainly due to a lack of generation capacity, but rather weaknesses in planning, particularly in transmission and distribution. The Centre pointed to inadequate redundancy in critical infrastructure as a key issue, making the system vulnerable to widespread outages when faults occur. It also highlighted the role of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in maintaining stable power supply, urging the company to include redundancy in all technical upgrades. ASEC further recommended that ECG temporarily pause its retrofit works to help stabilize the system, while improving coordination, monitoring, and communication with the public. The Centre called for stronger collaboration among institutions such as the Ghana Grid Company and the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition to ensure redundancy becomes a standard part of infrastructure development. ASEC emphasized that a reliable power system depends on strong backup systems, warning that without them, even small faults can lead to major disruptions. The Centre reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Ghana’s energy sector through research, policy advocacy, and technical expertise aimed at building a more reliable and future-ready electricity system.