An energy expert has predicted that consumers may pay more for electricity consumption if parliament approves the new Ameri deal.
Kwame Jantuah comment comes after the government on Wednesday (July 25, 2018) laid a paper in Parliament for the amendment of the controversial $510 million AMERI deal.
Mr Jantuah told Accra-based 3FM that consumers will pay more for electricity after the deal is approved.
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“I don’t understand why we should now understand the deal and pay more money. What is the rush, why do we have a 15-year duration?” he asked.
“If the idea is to get consumers pay less for electricity, then I’m afraid this will rather make them pay more. Consumers will pay more at the end of the day, and this is not right,” he added.
In the new agreement, the government is expected to pay Ameri $39 million while the new entity will also pay $52 million to Ameri on behalf of the government of Ghana.
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Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the African Centre for Energy Policy, Ben Boakye says the new deal does not give value for money
“For what we have seen that we are losing a lot of money. There’s a cost of a 270 million that Ghana will have to pay, which is way above whatever we are saving as purported by the government. We don’t see value for money in this deal,” he highlighted.
The $510 million deal was signed by the erstwhile Mahama administration. During the 2016 campaign, the NPP promised to renegotiate the deal when they assume power.
The members of Parliament’s Mines and Energy Committee said they need some four important documents to support the approval of the new agreement brought before it by the government.