Residents in parts of Kumasi are being asked to brace for intermittent power outages over the next 4 months as the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) undertakes major transmission system upgrades.
The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) says the temporary disruptions are necessary to improve the quality and reliability of electricity supply in Kumasi and surrounding areas.
Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr. Shafic Sulemana, disclosed this during an engagement with the media, explaining that several critical transmission projects are currently ongoing or at an advanced stage.
These include the provision of two 161-kilovolt transformer lines at the Anwomaso substation, the 330-kilovolt Accra-Kumasi transmission line, and the 330-kilovolt Kumasi-Anwomaso-Kintampo transmission line.
He said the Kumasi-Anwomaso transmission line upgrade is particularly critical to improving the evacuation of power from the Anwomaso power enclave into Kumasi and other parts of the country.
“The projects form part of investments expected to be funded through the 9 percent tariff adjustment introduced earlier this year,” Dr Sulemana said.
According to him, the PURC’s responsibility is to ensure that revenue generated from tariffs is used by utility companies for critical infrastructure and service improvements.
“There is no adjustment that occurs without us using the money to keep the lights on. Anytime you hear any tariff adjustment, it’s either we are using it to buy infrastructure or we are using it to ensure that the current power supply or water supply consumers get it and subsequently we expand for others who are not having,” he said.
Dr. Sulemana appealed to consumers to be patient with GRIDCo during the upgrade period, noting that the works could temporarily affect power supply in major parts of Kumasi.
“We are asking the Ghanaian consumer to have patience with us within the period of the four months so that we can upgrade the system for them to benefit better after the four months,” he stated.
PURC says the outages will be intermittent and not a complete shutdown of electricity supply.
It has also directed GRIDCo and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to provide detailed schedules of planned outages and notify affected consumers ahead of time.
Dr. Sulemana said consumers who experience power outages outside the announced schedules have the right to lodge complaints with the PURC.
“If a consumer gets an outage outside their schedule, you can complain to the Commission so that we can hold the utilities accountable to that,” he added.
The Commission is hopeful that once the upgrades are completed, the projects will help address some of the persistent power supply challenges in Kumasi and provide more reliable electricity in the long term.
By Ibrahim Abubakar
