Residents and businesses in Kumasi and parts of the Ashanti Region are expected to experience intermittent power outages over the next three months as the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) undertakes a major rehabilitation of the city’s electricity transmission infrastructure.
The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, announced that the project involves the replacement of more than 30-year-old transmission lines and towers that have reached the end of their operational lifespan and are no longer able to efficiently meet the growing electricity demand in the region.
Speaking after inspecting ongoing works at the Anwomaso Bulk Supply Point, Mr. Jinapor said the rehabilitation project is designed to increase the transmission capacity from 364 megawatts to approximately 1,000 megawatts. He explained that the upgrade would significantly improve the stability and reliability of electricity supply to Kumasi and surrounding communities upon completion.
The Minister appealed to residents and businesses to exercise patience during the rehabilitation period, describing the project as a critical investment that will strengthen the city’s power infrastructure and ensure a dependable electricity supply for years to come.
He cautioned that postponing the replacement of the ageing transmission infrastructure could result in more frequent power supply disruptions in the future.
The Chief Executive Officer of GRIDCo, Ing. Frank Otchere, said the existing transmission towers have been in service for more than three decades and have reached the end of their operational life.
According to him, replacing the obsolete infrastructure is necessary to improve the efficiency, reliability and capacity of electricity transmission across Kumasi and neighbouring communities.
Mr. Otchere assured consumers that GRIDCo would regularly publish schedules of planned power interruptions throughout the three-month rehabilitation period to enable residents and businesses to plan their activities accordingly.
He added that although the temporary outages may cause some inconvenience, the project will result in a more resilient electricity transmission network capable of meeting the increasing energy demands of Kumasi and the Ashanti Region.
Ghana|Atinkaonline.com|Sofoba Kwame Afrifah