The Executive Director of the Centre for Environmental and Sustainable Energy, Benjamin Nsiah, has questioned the government’s justification for the proposed GHC1.2 billion expenditure on emergency fuel, arguing that the figure lacks transparency and inconsistent with available data from energy sector institutions.
His remarks come after the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor, stated in an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show on June 4 that government would require about GHC1.2 billion to procure emergency liquid fuel to stabilize the country’s power supply.
However, speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on Saturday, June 7, 2025, Mr. Nsiah challenged the rationale behind the figure, urging the government to provide clarity on how the estimate was calculated.
“They should come clear on how they arrived at the GHC1.2 billion,” he said. “This is because we do not need GHC1.2 billion to procure emergency fuel. We know they are very expensive, and they don’t want to rely on them. When we need them, we need them in smaller volumes for times when we experience disruption in any of the gas suppliers.”
Citing figures from the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) and the Energy Commission, Nsiah asserted that the actual cost of emergency fuel for the entire year should be significantly lower.
“I do not agree because I have said earlier that we need $189 million for procuring the emergency fuel. GRIDCo gave this figure; in fact, they earlier said $90 million, later they revised it to $180 million for the liquefied fuel for the entire year,” he explained.
He also pointed to the Energy Commission’s projections, which place emergency fuel costs at around $33 million, noting that emergency fuel is not typically included in long-term energy planning due to its unreliability and high cost.
Nsiah raised further concerns over inflated pricing and possible corruption in the procurement process.
“When I look at the estimates made by GRIDCo, I do not think that we should be buying light crude oil for $100 per barrel. I also do not think that we should buy diesel oil for $1,600 per metric tonne, but those estimates have been included anyway,” he said.
“If the GHC1.2 billion they are talking about is truly for liquid fuel, then it suggests that the government would be spending GHC2.4 billion on fuel for the year—and that is not sustainable.”
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