Ghanaians are waiting keenly for the Karpower’s 255 megawatts power barges to hit the shores of the country from Turkey, hoping for it to rescue us from the current energy crisis- nicknamed ‘dumsor’ in our local parlance.

Government officials have continuously  emphasised  that Ghana needs these power barges to improve the current conditions. However, energy expert Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby has asserted that there is no need for government to bring in the power barges because the country is no longer in an emergency situation—compared to a year ago when the deal was struck.

Dr. Wereko-Brobby, speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Tuesday, articulated that the cost of the power barges are expensive and doesn’t make any sense because the country is buying it “at least twice more than the cost of power supplied from Takoradi.”

“It has been one year after the events [in 2014], therefore, the terms on which Karpower was negotiated need to be re-negotiated from emergency to normal”.

“It is so expensive it doesn’t make sense to any Ghanaian,” he said.

According him, nothing should have stopped the Ghanaian authorities from re-negotiating with Karpower now that consumers are not so desperate for electricity supply.

Again, he believes the concentration should be on how to fuel the power plants—but not on bringing in many power barges that at the end of the day, the country cannot provide gas or crude oil to ensure its continued functionality.

“It is not megawatts that deliver power but megawatts plus fuel…we can keep on adding megawatts but if there is no fuel to power the plants there will be no power”.