By Jeremiah Nutsugah
Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana) Limited has postponed its decision to suspend operations at its power plant for an additional week.
According to the Independent Power Producer, the decision follows intervention and assurance from the Minister of Finance and a Minister of State.
On Monday, the company announced an indifinite shutdown, citing delays in payment from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) for power supplied.
“This is our last resort. The accumulating unpaid bills have significantly impacted our operational capacities, making it unsustainable to continue without addressing these financial challenges.”
A statement on Monday evening later said the company was delaying its decision to suspend operations for one week in view of government’s intervention.
It mentioned that an interim sum of $60 million would be paid in two tranches. The first tranche of $30 million was expected to be paid during the current week, and the second tranche in the week of December 11, 2023.
In July, the IPPs reached an interim agreement with the Electricity Company of Ghana over arrears owed to them. However, they warned that if the debt issue remained unresolved, they would shut down without any further notice.
Despite recent intermittent power cuts, officials in the power sector have assured the public that they have the situation under control, and there is no anticipation of a return of the severe power cuts commonly referred to as ‘dumsor’.
