Speaking during his vetting before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Monday, January 13, Mr Jinapor outlined strategic measures to address these issues and ensure the resilience of the country’s power infrastructure.

According to him, a significant fuel supply gap of 40 to 60 million standard cubic feet per day (mmcf/d), even with contributions from ENI, Jubilee, TEN fields, and Nigeria Gas (N-Gas). This deficit has forced reliance on alternative fuel sources, including light crude oil, heavy fuel oil, and distillate fuel oil, to keep power plants running.

“Our immediate objective will be to bridge the fuel gap. We’ve engaged Jubilee partners, Tullow Oil, and Ghana Gas, and are confident that with reconditioning efforts, we can increase gas supply by an additional 35 mmcf/d, creating a much-needed buffer,” Mr Jinapor said.

He noted that resolving the fuel supply issue, along with maintaining adequate liquid fuel reserves, would significantly stabilise power generation and reduce vulnerabilities in the energy sector.

The Minister-designate also revealed a mounting financial crisis, with key power sector stakeholders threatening to cut supplies due to unpaid debts.

“Ghana owes Karpowership $377 million, and the company has warned of a potential shutdown, Tullow Oil – Outstanding payments exceed $100 million, with threats of reduced operations. ENI has also raised concerns over unpaid debts.

“These financial challenges require urgent attention. Without addressing these debts, we risk disruptions in power supply, which could severely impact the economy,” he warned.

He assured Ghanaians that once these issues are resolved, the energy sector will be on a stronger footing to deliver reliable and affordable power.

“These two challenges—fuel supply and financial stability—are critical. If we can get them right, we’ll be on the path to a more stable and efficient energy sector.”

Despite these challenges, Jinapor expressed confidence in Ghana’s robust power grid, citing upgrades to transmission lines and primary substations.

“Our grid system is very resilient. We’ve upgraded many of our lines from 161 to 330 kV, and we’ve injected significant resources into primary substations. With a current stock capacity of 5,260 megawatts and a dependable capacity of 4,800 megawatts, we’re positioned to meet the new peak demand of 4,100 megawatts,” he noted.

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The former Deputy Energy Minister says he is aware of the challenges in the sector and though tough he would do anything possible to stabilize the sector.

He was speaking at his vetting on Monday where he announced that already he is scheduled to meet major industry player in Dubai.

Mr Jinapor added that his government will invite private sector participation into the affairs of the Electricity Company of Ghana(ECG) through competitive tendering to boost efficiency, citing several the defects of revenue generation into the cash waterfall system as a major problem faced by the company.

The Yapei Kusawgu lawmaker further added that government intends to boost power generation and supply through bridging the gap between gas, light crude and distillate fuel oil to ensure that enough buffers are created to supplement power generation and supply.

He also touched on plans to introduce private sector participation to revitalize ECG and also stabilize power generation and supply

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