Myths abound about the power crisis as we grapple with yet another dark, sweltering summer. The first and foremost: that you can throw money at the problem. The mass media’s scandalous inability to communicate problems that are even the slightest bit complex, has left, in the public’s mind, the impression that all the problem boils down to is the circular debt. Since problems of debt are solved by settling it, that is all there must be to it, then.
Wrong. True, the debt should be settled; it is not becoming of viable states to take lightly the sanctity of contract. But the problem won’t go away. Given the peculiarities of our power matrix, it will simply ratchet up again, leaving us where we started, except indebted, in another account, by the amount paid up.
Another myth is that of the shortfall. Reports of a huge power shortfall (near 4000 MW) conveys an image of a deficit in our ability to produce electricity. Wrong again. The total installed capacity of the Pepco system is well above 20,000 MW whereas our total demand is around 17,000 MW. A surplus that rivals the reported shortfall.
The problem – and here, the two aforementioned myths might be better understood – is that whereas we do possess the capacity to produce our required amount of electricity, we do not possess the capacity to produce it at a cheap enough rate. In fact, given improvements in technology and proliferation in rental power plants, any country in the world, be it the Ivory Coast or Rwanda, can have all the power they need. The issue at hand, clearly, is not that of installed capacity but how economical it is to produce every successive unit of electricity.
Given the fuel crisis and the centrality of petrochemical power in our power profile, there is no way the rate can go anywhere but up. An answer would be development in hydel power, investment in alternative energy and (sit down when you read this) try to conserve electricity.
Cutting down on transmission losses could also be something that could be looked into. But that requires a maintenance overhaul, which, in turn, requires a lot of investment, a long maturation period and sustained effort. No quick fixes here.