Some persons suspected to be arsonists have torched some fuel pipelines within the Tema enclave.
Public Relations Officer for the Energy Ministry, Nana Damoah who made this known on Eyewitness News said the Police have began investigating the incident to arrest the culprits.
“Last night, some security men doing some regular checks along the pipelines that take one of the generating plants within the Tema enclave discovered that some persons had packed car tyres over some pipelines that were transmitting fuel to the generation plant and had torched these tyres, so the [pipelines] were burning,” Mr. Damoah said.
“This is a very sad development for all of us. It gets more confusing and it gets sadder that as we are facing challenges and working hard to get the people of Ghana out of the challenges that we are facing, there are some very determined persons who also wish that we will stay in the condition for a longer period.Investigations into this development have began,” he added.
Mr. Damoah was however quick to add that the fuel pipelines could be repaired, adding that the development will not affect power supply “in anyway”.
He additionally said the Energy Ministry is working hard to ensure that persons seeking to destroy properties belonging to the Energy Ministry are dealt with.
The incident comes in the wake of recent power outages in parts of Accra.
Danger looms at TOR as encroachers takeover pipelines
Last year, it emerged that artisans and squatters as well as haulage drivers had developed a settlement close to the surface pipelines belonging to the Tema Oil refinery (TOR).
In spite of dangers associated with this, the squatters had found a place of abode around the pipelines that connect the Tema Port to the refinery thereby exposing the pipes and themselves to danger.
They were later ejected from the place.
GRIDCo transmission tower collapses; company suspects vandalism
Two weeks ago, one of the 161,000 towers located in GRIDCo’s enclave near the free zone area in Tema, fell over into another tower after it emerged that the bolts holding the pylon had been deliberately cut and removed.
GRIDCo strongly suspected the collapsing of the pylon at Tema was an act of vandalism and not an attempted theft.
Energy Minister John Peter Amewu said he was not ruling out political sabotage in the apparent vandalism of the high voltage transmission tower.
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By: Marian Ansah| citinewsroom.com| Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah
