I’m solving energy crisis, not grumbling – John Jinapor

The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor, has dismissed claims that he is lamenting about the country’s power and fuel supply challenges, emphasizing that his primary focus is on addressing the issues head-on.

His remarks follow criticism from energy experts and members of the public, including Walewale MP, Tia Abdul-Kabiru Mahama, who accused him of using “fear tactics” rather than demonstrating effective leadership during an appearance on The Big Issue on May 17.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, May 19, 2025, Mr. Jinapor clarified that his recent appearance before Parliament’s Energy Committee was not an expression of frustration but an opportunity to present facts and propose actionable solutions.

“I understand grumbling very well, and I don’t think that when you appear before a committee and you present facts, they term that as grumbling. Unless, as a minister, I needed to hide that fact,” he stated.

Mr. Jinapor outlined several interventions undertaken by the ministry, including resolving a potential shutdown by Karpowership, expanding generation capacity, and initiating structural reforms to stabilize the sector.

“The facts are that Karpowership threatened to shut down, and we resolved the matter; that is not grumbling, that is solving the problem. It is sitting around the table to find the solution.

“When we took over, load shedding was around 70-80 megawatts, which was a shortfall. We have brought in a lot of plants.

“Before the committee, I gave them all the statistics, then I moved on to tell them the challenges and also the moves to solve the challenges. For instance, I told them that we have inaugurated the gas processing committee, to come out with how to build the gas processing plants so that we don’t depend on liquid fuel, that is not grumbling, we are solving the problem,” he added.

He further discussed the ministry’s medium- and long-term strategies, including reducing reliance on liquid fuel by enhancing domestic gas processing capabilities.

“ECG said they want private sector participation, we have inaugurated a committee, and they have done stakeholder consultation, and now we have to move on to implementation, that is not grumbling. It is dealing with the challenges,” he explained.

Responding to concerns about the country’s fuel stock levels, Mr. Jinapor noted that he had provided Parliament with updated data and confirmed that new fuel orders were underway.

“Parliament also wanted the statistics of all our fuel stocks, and I gave them to them. I also went further to say that we have ordered fuel, and we are getting those today, to replace what we have in stock.

“I didn’t say, we will have a challenge, I didn’t say we have a crisis. We are not in crisis, we are doing fairly well. Yes, we have challenges, but that is why we were voted into power to solve those challenges. If I am putting a solution across, that solution should be dealing with a challenge,” he concluded.