Ghana looks beyond domestic gas to address its energy supply crisis

Despite estimated probable reserves of 5tcf domestic natural gas and a strategic location in the Gulf of Guinea, Ghana suffers power shortages that have for decades hampered economic growth. Even when the long-awaited infrastructure is finally completed, offshore gas will only meet a fraction of the country’s power needs, and the government is considering other options, such as importing coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG). “Load shedding in Accra is now approaching 18 hours off/12 hours on,” an Accra-based energy analyst told African Energy. “It’s an economic and political catastrophe – a huge embarrassment to the current administration. That’s why, right now, everything is in play.”