A press conference organised in Kumasi recently by Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), Volta River Authority (VRA), and Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has exonerated Ghana Gas from any wrongdoing in the ongoing power crisis in the Ashanti Region.
Workers of Ghana Gas had expressed concerns over the allegation made by the sector Minister, Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, that they were the source of the problem.
But, addressing the press in the Ashanti Regional capital where the Overlord of the Ashanti Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, had earlier raised concerns over the power fluctuations, GRIDCo, VRA and ECG accepted the blame, and told customers living in the enclave that they were collaborating to help rectify the anomaly.
Kwame Agyeman Budu, Managing Director of ECG, addressing journalists in Kumasi last week Friday, stated that the problem has been traced to damaged towers along the transmission lines and would be erected soon.
On behalf of the four major players, he apologised to the people of Asanteman saying that the recent intermittent power cuts were not intentional. Giving detailed accounts of the power challenge, Ing Vincent Boachie, GRIDCo Director for Northern Network Services, said power supply was stable in the Ashanti Region until the tower collapsed.
“On November 9, 2021, a communication tower collapsed and fell on the 330kv Aboadze-Kumasi transmission line at Bogoso. Three transmission towers collapsed in the process and were extensively damaged, requiring either repair or complete replacement.
“As a result, most of the electricity supply to Kumasi has since been coming from the Akosombo Generating Station and the power generation enclave in Tema. During peak periods, the available transmission network cannot carry enough power to the country’s middle and northern parts, including Kumasi.”
Kumasi and its environs, Ing Vincent Boachie indicated, normally consume 340 megawatts at peak times, adding “there is the need to manage power supply to Kumasi and its environs to avoid a total transmission system failure.”
He also assured that a team of experts have since been dispatched to the accident scene and were working assiduously to erect the damaged towers and restore service to normalise the power situation in Kumasi by December 20, 2021.
The press conference exonerates Ghana Gas Company, whose workers had expressed concern over the blame push on them by the sector Minster, Dr. Mattew Opoku Prempeh.
In other details of our investigation indicates that Ghana Gas has been back to full Operations for almost 3 weeks after their planned Shutdown Maintenance and had to work on a leak. Ghana Gas has by then repaired the leak and the company back in operations contrary to the Energy Minister’s claim on Ekosesen & Peace FM Kokrokoo that Ghana Gas was not back to Operations and was reason behind power outages in Ashanti.
