Residents in parts of Kumasi should expect intermittent power outages over the next four months as the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) undertakes major upgrades to the transmission network.
The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) says the works are necessary to improve the reliability and quality of electricity supply in Kumasi and other parts of the country.
Speaking during a media engagement, PURC Executive Secretary, Dr. Shafic Sulemana, said several major transmission projects were either underway or nearing completion.
They include the installation 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.
Dr. Sulemana said the upgrade of the Kumasi-Anwomaso transmission line was particularly important to improving the evacuation of power from the Anwomaso power enclave to Kumasi and other parts of the country.
He explained that the projects form part of the infrastructure investments expected to be financed through the 9 percent tariff adjustment introduced earlier this year.
“The projects form part of investments expected to be funded through the 9 percent tariff adjustment introduced earlier this year,” he said.
According to Dr. Sulemana, the PURC is responsible for ensuring that revenue generated from tariff adjustments is channelled into critical infrastructure and improvements in utility services.
He said tariff adjustments were intended either to support the expansion of infrastructure or to sustain and improve existing electricity and water supply services.
The PURC Executive Secretary appealed to consumers to bear with GRIDCo during the four-month upgrade period, warning that the works could temporarily affect electricity 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 said.
The Commission stressed that the disruptions would be intermittent and would not result in a complete shutdown of electricity supply.
GRIDCo and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) have also been directed to publish detailed schedules of planned outages and notify affected consumers in advance.
Dr. Sulemana further urged consumers who experience outages outside the announced schedules to report them to 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 PURC expects the completion of the projects to help address some of Kumasi’s persistent power supply challenges and improve the reliability of electricity in the long term.
