It is “arrant nonsense” to deprive industries electricity in favour of domestic consumers just because the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) wants ordinary Ghanaians to have uninterrupted power during the Christmas season, former Chief Executive Officer of state power producer Volta River Authority (VRA), Dr Charles Wereko-Brobbey has said.

“Have you heard such nonsense before?” he fumed in an interview with Kwadwo Asare Barfour Acheampong (KABA) on Asempa FM’s Ekosii sen afternoon programme. “This is arrant nonsense: that you’ll take the energy for the production sector to give it to beer drinkers to celebrate Christmas. What is this? Are we serious?” he wondered.

Wereko-Brobbey’s concern comes almost two weeks after the President of the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industries (GCCI), Dr Seth Adjei Baah said it will make more economic sense for power producer Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to cut off electricity supply to domestic consumers in favour of industries, rather than spread the load-shedding exercise across.

“I believe that instead of cutting industries, we should cut local domestic consumption. If I’m not having light for two days and industry is working, it is better off for me because industry still keeps the people employed. If you cut it and they lay people off, it’s going to be a problem on our hands.

“[For] some of the companies, when you cut off electricity to them, they need to heat their machines for a certain number of hours. By the time they have to start production, you are going to cut again,” he said.

Adjei Baah’s suggestion followed ECG’s decision to extend the load-shedding exercise to industrial zones.

ECG began the load management exercise in the industrial enclaves on Monday, December 1, 2014 as part of energy conservation measures due to the worsening energy situation in the country.

Per the timetable, consumers will be deprived of power for 12 hours every two days, while industrial zones will be taken off the national grid for two straight days and reconnected for six days.

ECG is currently shedding about 450 Megawatts of power due to low water level in the hydro power stations and lack of gas to power the thermal plants across the country.