Pray for rains to end power crisis -Energy Minister rallies Ghanaians

The Minister of Energy, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, has urged Ghanaians to pray to God for enough rains into the dams to deal with the erratic power supply currently plaguing the country.

Pointing out this divine option on Metro TV's Good Evening Ghana program Tuesday, Mr. Buah rallied Ghanaians saying "what we have to do is to pray that this year the rains will come enough for Bui [dam] to give us at least 200 megawatts".

This is not the first time Ghanaians have been asked to pray for rains. In 2007, a group of Ghanaian pastors impressed by President Kufuor's hope that "God will not allow the Akosombo dam to hang" met to pray for rains when Ghana faced a similar crisis.

Ghana's panacea to the current energy crisis has been laid down to two options - reliance on water to power Akosombo, Kpong and Bui dams or reliance on thermal plants.

The thermal plants need either light crude oil deemed expensive or gas which is expected to be ready by September, the Minister announced.

Funding for light crude is currently not available to VRA. Government has already spent half a billion dollars on procuring the expensive resource.

Ghana's option for some relief is rains, the Minister explained.

"[With] the water levels at Bui right now there is no way it can give us the margins supposed to give us. Bui[dam] is only giving us 90 megawatts, [Instead of the 400 megawatts]. If we overdraw the water we have to shut that plant down", he warned.

Ghana has entered its rainy season and flooding has been reported last Tuesday in parts of the country.

"I am praying that the rains will come. We are hoping that the rains will be enough this year", a hopeful Minister of Energy said.