Power Distribution Services Ghana (PDS Ghana Limited), [1] was an electricity distribution company in Ghana. The company's operation covered about thirty percent of the total land mass of the country. [2] Formerly, and as a public company, its operations were under the Ministry of Energy of Ghana. [3] Together with Northern Electricity Distribution Company, they supplied all of Ghana's electricity demands as well as some other West African countries. [4] PDS took over Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) on 1 March 2019. [5] [6]
The company initiated many periods of load shedding which increased in recent times, and gained traction in popular culture under the term dumsor. Ownership was eventually reverted back to the ECG. [7]
The Controversy
The Power Distribution Services (PDS) Ghana Limited takeover was a controversial deal that saw the Ghanaian government award a 25-year concession to PDS to manage the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG). The deal was signed in March 2019, but was suspended in July 2019 following allegations of fraud. The government subsequently terminated the deal in October 2019. [8]
Enacted as a result of Parliament's Energy Commission Act of 1997 (Act 541), the Energy Commission assumes a pivotal role in Ghana's energy landscape. Its primary mandate revolves around the meticulous regulation, strategic management, comprehensive development, and optimal utilization of the nation's diverse energy resources. By diligently overseeing these critical aspects, the Energy Commission actively contributes to the sustainable growth and efficient operation of Ghana's energy sector, ensuring its alignment with both national priorities and international best practices. [9]
The Energy Commission is the key regulator for Ghana's energy sectors and advises the government on energy matters. [9] The company's main focus is providing electricity to Ghana's people with commercial integrity and overseeing rural electrification projects for the government. [10]
The economy of Ghana has a diverse and rich resource base, including the manufacturing and exportation of digital technology goods, automotive and ship construction and exportation, and the exportation of diverse and rich resources such as hydrocarbons and industrial minerals. These have given Ghana one of the highest GDP per capita in West Africa. Owing to a GDP rebasement, in 2011 Ghana became the fastest-growing economy in the world.
The State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), commonly known as the State Grid, is a Chinese state-owned electric utility corporation. It is the largest utility company in the world. As of 2022, State Grid is the world's third largest company overall by revenue, behind Walmart and Amazon. In 2022 it was reported as having 871,145 employees, 1.1 billion customers and revenue equivalent to US$460 billion. It is overseen by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council.
The electricity sector in Peru has experienced large improvements in the past 15 years. Access to electricity has increased from 45% in 1990 to 96.4% in 2018, while service quality and efficiency of service provision improved. These improvements were made possible through privatizations following reforms initiated in 1992. At the same time, electricity tariffs have remained in line with the average for Latin America.
The National Transmission Corporation (TransCo) is a Philippine government-owned and controlled corporation created in June 26, 2001 by the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Republic Act 9136) and a corporate entity wholly owned by the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management (PSALM). It is the owner of the country's power grid and its related assets and facilities since March 1, 2003, and also served as operator of the grid from March 2003 until the turnover of the grid's operations and maintenance to the privately owned National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) on January 15, 2009.
The petroleum industry of Ghana is regulated by the state-owned Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and administered by the state-owned Ghana Oil Company (GOIL).
Ghana generates electric power from hydropower, fossil-fuel, and renewable energy sources such as wind and solar energy. Electricity generation is one of the key factors in order to achieve the development of the Ghanaian national economy, with aggressive and rapid industrialization; Ghana's national electric energy consumption was 265 kilowatt hours per each one in 2009.
E-Control (ECG) is the government regulator for electricity and natural gas markets in Austria. It was founded in 2001 on the basis of the Energy Liberalisation Act. E-Control's main duty as the independent regulatory authority is to "oversee and to control the Austrian gas and electricity market in the best interest of the consumer".
Umeme Limited is the largest energy distributor in Uganda, distributing about 97 percent of all electricity used in the country. The shares of the stock of the company are listed on the Uganda Securities Exchange (USE) and are cross listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE). As of December 2021, the company's total assets were approximately UGX:2.664 trillion, with shareholders' equity of approximately UGX:893.15 billion.
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) is a privately owned corporation that was created on January 15, 2009, through RA 9511. It is a consortium of three corporations, namely Monte Oro Grid Resources Corporation, Calaca High Power Corporation, and the State Grid Corporation of China.
Benin is a coastal country located in the Gulf of Guinea in Western Africa, which is a resource rich region. Energy in Benin has a diverse energy mix and takes several forms including: solar, wind, hydropower, biomass, fossil resources, and mineral resources. Out of this energy mix, about 60% of energy comes from biomass. Benin is also dependent on energy imports from Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. While power plants and other energy facilities were built in the 1950s and 1960s, the lack of investment has led to deterioration over time. Similarly, its location in the Gulf of Guinea has led to an attempt of oil production starting in the late 1980s. However, due to unprofitable operations, oil production halted in 1998.
REC Limited, formerly Rural Electrification Corporation Limited, of which Power Finance Corporation Limited (PFC) is holding company, which in turn is under the ownership of the Ministry of Power, Government of India. It finances and promotes power projects across India. The PSU provides loans to Central/State Sector Power Utilities in the country, State Electricity Boards, Rural Electric Cooperatives, NGOs and Private Power Developers. On 20 March 2019, PFC signed the agreement to acquire a 52.63% controlling stake in REC for ₹14,500 crore (US$1.8 billion). On 28 March, PFC announced that it had completed making the payment for the acquisition and intended to merge REC with itself in 2020.
The Ministry of Energy and Petroleum is the government ministry in charge of extending and ensuring a continuous supply of energy services to every division of the Ghanaian economy in an energy sufficient, environmentally friendly manner.
GOIL PLC formerly known as GOIL Company Limited (GOIL) and Ghana Oil Company and also known as GOIL, is a state-owned Ghanaian oil and gas marketing company, formed on 14 June 1960.Currently it holds the place of Ghana's top oil marketing company, and is the only indigenous owned petroleum marketing company in Ghana.
Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCO) is an electricity distribution utility company in Ghana. The company is a subsidiary of the Volta River Authority, the main electricity generation company in the country. The company is the sole supplier of electricity to the five Northern Regions of Ghana: Northern Region, Upper East Region, Savanna Region, North East Region and Upper West Region, Bono, Bono East, Ahafo Regions and part of the Ashanti and Volta Regions. The Electricity Company of Ghana supplies the other regions.
In Ghana, dumsor is a persistent, irregular, and unpredictable electric power outage. The frequent Ghanaian blackouts are caused by power supply shortage. Ghanaian generating capacity by 2015 was 400-600 megawatts, less than Ghana needed. Ghanaian electricity distributors regularly shed load with rolling blackouts.
Ghana Water Company is the majority provider of water utility services in Ghana.
Kpone Thermal Power Station II, also Kpone Independent Thermal Power Station, is a 340 MW (460,000 hp) multi-fuel-fired thermal power station under construction in Ghana.
The Ministry of Energy is an executive ministry of the federal Government of Pakistan that is charged with implementation of the national energy policy and energy production and electricity transmission throughout the country.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development is a ministry in the Ghanaian government that concentrates on carrying out development interventions to move the fisheries sector and the industry to contribute efficiently to the overall development of the Ghanaian economy. This forms part of the 2014-2017 Sector Medium Term Development Plan.
The Gomoa Onyaadze Solar Power Station is an operational grid-connected 20 megawatts (27,000 hp) solar power plant, in Ghana. The privately owned power station sells its power to the Power Distribution Services Ghana (PDSG), formerly Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), under a long-term power purchase agreement.
