Mr Ofosu Ahenkorah, Executive Secretary of Energy Commission, on Tuesday called for collaborative efforts by all stakeholders to enforce the ban on importation of used refrigeration equipment into the country.
He said most imported refrigeration equipment imported into the country consumed high energy, contained harmful bacteria, had faulty leaking seals, weak compressors, malfunctioning thermostats and had already lasted the test of time.
Mr Ahenkorah made the call when addressing stakeholders at a meeting jointly organised by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Energy Commission in Amasaman in the Ga West Municipality of the Greater Accra Region.
The meeting was to sensitise participants on the preparatory activities towards a scheduled ban on the importation of used refrigeration equipment into the country in fulfilment of sub-regulation 3 of the Energy Commission’s regulations, 2008 (LI 1932).
Mr Ahenkorah noted that a significant proportion of total electricity generated was wasted as a result of the use of inefficient appliances, adding that most refrigerators imported into the country were not designed for the tropics.
He said the most sufficient way to solve this problem and tool for energy efficiency, was the adoption and implementation of a standard and labelling programme to guide consumers in the purchase of refrigerators.
“The standard would include trade names, estimated number of consumption, type of refrigerator, model, climate class and manufactures, while labelling would be in the English Language, printed in colour, pasted on the handles of doors of refrigerators and on the top of freezers,” he said.
Mr Ahenkorah said this would enhance consumer welfare, prevent Ghana from being a dumping ground for energy inefficient appliances and offer consumers incentives to purchase energy efficient products among other things.
Ms Sherry Ayittey, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, said government had instituted measures to address the global warming and climate change situations in the country which was mostly caused by energy generation and use.
She said: “Government interventions such as the replacement of incandescent bulbs with CFLs, the transition from light crude oil to natural gas in power generation and the implementation of energy efficiency standards to regulate the importation and sale of refrigerators and air conditioners are some of the concrete measures being undertaken.”
Ms Ayittey, however, noted that a two-year moratorium had been placed on the Energy Commission‘s regulations, 2008 (LI 1932) which prohibited the importation of used refrigeration equipment effective January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2012 in view of petitions and concerns raised by dealers in the trade.
She said during this period, all traders and importers of used refrigeration equipment would be registered and licensed after which import quotas would be issued to some selected importers to bring them into the country in controlled quantities until December 31, 2012 when they would be completely banned.
“Measures have also been put in place by the Energy Commission to ensure that the market was not flooded by new inefficient refrigerators after the ban on the importation of the used ones,” she added.
Ms Ayittey urged all and sundry to show much concern and support the efforts of the Energy Commission and EPA to stop the importation of these equipment which had outlived their usefulness in their countries of origin.
Mr Daniel Amlalo, Acting Executive Director of EPA said most Ghanaian businessmen and women had taken advantage of the situation and shipped refrigeration equipment that had been disposed off by their owners into the country for commercial purposes.
He said most of those used equipment had exceeded much of their optimal operation energy efficiency periods and might have other health implications which must not be overlooked.
“The issue of other health implications associated with the importation of these used refrigeration units some of which might have been used in the laboratory and storage of vaccines must be taken very seriously,” he stated.
Mr Amlalo urged participants to embrace the phase-out modality reached on the importation of used refrigerators in order to avoid any added hardships that might result in consequences of continued importation.