Electricity consumption in Ghana is rising significantly faster than official projections, the Executive Secretary of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Dr Shaffic Suleman, has revealed, raising fresh considerations for the nation’s energy planning and future supply needs.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express programme on Wednesday, Dr Suleman said that while the country’s power demand growth was projected at about 8% per year, current consumption trends have far exceeded those estimates.
“We are now consuming more power beyond what has been projected,” he stated, attributing the surge to improved reliability of electricity supply and stronger economic activity that is encouraging greater demand from households and businesses alike.
According to Dr Suleman, the gains in supply stability and availability have unlocked what he described as “suppressed demand”, with more consumers coming online and using electricity more consistently.
The comments come as discussions intensify around the government’s proposed 24-hour economy policy, which aims to extend economic operations throughout the day and night a move that would inevitably increase energy consumption.
When asked whether Ghana’s current electricity capacity could sustain such continuous activity, Dr Suleman acknowledged that expanded generation capacity is urgently needed. “So we have to be fast with additional capacity,” he said, underlining ongoing efforts at the highest levels to address the shortfall.
He affirmed that President Mahama and Energy Minister John Jinapor are actively working to ensure sufficient power generation capacity is added to the national grid to meet rising demand.
Dr Suleman also highlighted shifts in consumption patterns, noting changes in both base and peak load demands that the energy sector has not historically encountered. “Peak load is also experiencing targets or points that we are not familiar with, and obviously, the economy is growing, so we need power,” he said.
Despite the uptick in demand, the PURC boss stressed that power supply remains generally stable for now, but emphasized the importance of forward planning to prevent future strain on the grid particularly as Ghana heads into the latter part of this decade.
Dr Suleman’s remarks signal a pivotal moment for Ghana’s energy sector, as policymakers and industry stakeholders work to align capacity growth with surging demand and broader economic objectives.