Clarification on Ghana Gas Granting Genser Discounted Gas Price for 2023 by Energy Ministry.
The Ministry of Energy has stated that Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC) discounted the gas price for Genser by $6.50MMBtu in 2023. The Ministry also confirmed that Ghana Gas entered into a Gas Sales Agreement with Genser in April 2023 to enable the company to fuel its power plants with gas. The Ministry emphasized that all transactions with Genser were led by Ghana Gas and its management.
The Ministry released a statement in response to a claim by the Senior Staff Association of Ghana Gas, which accused the Minister of Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, of taking a biased approach in the Genser matter. The Ministry called the claim “misconceived” and “a calculated attempt at muddying the waters for selfish gains.”
The Ministry explained that the matter is being investigated by the Parliamentary Committee on Mines and Energy and that it is mindful of the legal consequences of discussing it in those circumstances. The President of the Republic referred the matter to the Ministry, the Petroleum Commission, and the Energy Commission for investigations, and a report has been delivered to the President.
The Ministry clarified that neither the Minister nor anyone else acting on behalf of the Ministry has signed any contract with Genser. The only contracts signed with Genser on record are by GNGC and GNPC. The Ministry highlighted that the contract between Genser and GNGC predates the Minister’s tenure at the Ministry of Energy and was signed on behalf of the GNGC by Dr. Ben Asante, its CEO.
The Ministry expressed disappointment in the Senior Staff Association’s second release, calling it hypocritical, as they shifted the goalpost to talk about the Ministry of Energy granting approvals before executing contracts. The Ministry posed a question to the Association, asking why they believed that GNPC must come to the Ministry for approval if Ghana Gas did not do so.
The Ministry promised to make a copy of the signed contract between Genser and Ghana Gas available for scrutiny, along with other documentation, as it aims to resolve the issue once and for all.