The Impact of Droughts and Climate Change on Electricity Generation in Ghana

2013

English

Ghana has occasionally being experiencing harsh weather conditions such as flooding and hydrological droughts. Electricity power for the country depends mainly on hydropower generated from a hydropower dam at Akosombo built in 1965. In the years 1983-4, 1997-98, 2003, 2006-2007 the country suffered from serious electric power rationing. The 2006/2007 electricity power rationing, equating to about 24hrs light in 48 hrs was the severest power rationing ever witnessed in Ghana and the consequences were catastrophic. Out of about 1180MW generated by the two hydropower dams, only about 400MW was produced. This affected all sectors of the economy including industry, mining and domestic. Manufactures were reducing output, shortening the workweek and contemplated investments in power generators. Revenue to the state dwindled due to shortfalls in production by several million dollars in 2006. Power rationing left factories idle and broad swaths of Accra and other cities dark at night with the most feared result that years of efforts spent creating an image of Ghana as receptive to foreign investment could be jeopardized. This paper analysis 37 years of rainfall in the Volta basin and intake water levels in the Dam site on the Volta lake for hydropower generation to establish whether in reality, the main causes of the power rationing due to low water levels in the Akosombo dam was due to drought. The paper establishes that the 1983, 1997 and 2006/7 power rationing was truly as a result of hydrologic drought whereas the 2003’s was not. The paper also reports of consequences such as loss of revenue, loss of jobs, extra power generation through diesel plants and many more which in monetary terms amounted to several million United States dollars at a time when the nation was termed a highly indebted poor country according to the Bank of Ghana and World Bank. The paper also suggests that if climate change effects on the water resources of the country are not managed sustainably, drought and floods could affect hydropower generation in future.

Bekoe, E. O.; Lo2013gah, F. Y.