The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) has attributed Monday’s power cuts in the Volta and Oti Regions to a fault developed on one of its transmission lines.
In a statement, the company said the defect has been worked on and power has been restored to the affected areas after the total blackout in the Oti Region and parts of the Volta Region.
“Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) wishes to inform the general public that at 08:00 AM on Monday, March 09, 2020, one of our transmission lines from Akosombo to Asiekpe developed a fault. This led to interruptions in power supply to the Volta and Oti regions. Our Maintenance team went to work immediately to replace the defective terminal equipment and power supply has since been fully restored to the affected areas at approximately 1:00 PM on Tuesday, March 10, 2020.”
Engineers at the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) attributed the power cuts to interrupted supply from the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) at Akosombo.
While apologising to the residents for the inconvenience caused, GRIDCo said it still remains resolute to provide reliable electricity supply.
“GRIDCo apologises for any inconvenience caused and remains committed to its mandate of delivering reliable power supply”, the statement added.
Recent power outages not due to financial challenges – ECG Boss
Ghanaians in the past weeks had complained about the frequent power outages and demanded a load shedding timetable from the ECG.
But the Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana, Kwame Agyemang Badu at the time said the gas pipeline from Tema to Takoradi was undergoing maintenance hence the erratic power supply.
Role of GRIDCo in power supply
GRIDCo is a leading power transmission company in West Africa. It operates the Ghana Wholesale Electricity Market and provides electricity transmission services in Ghana and West Africa.
Since its inception, GRIDCo has continuously ensured a reliable supply of affordable electricity to households by continuously upgrading and extending the grid and the introduction of modern systems in compliance with IEC 61850.
As a result, access to electricity in Ghana has increased from 66.7% (2009) to 82.5% (2016).
The increase in electricity access has resulted in increased income, improved trade balance and the provision of local solutions.
It has also contributed to industrial development and new job opportunities in the sub-region.
In West Africa, GRIDCo has established inter and intra connections with countries to the North, East and West of its boundaries, as part of the West African Power Pool System and has positioned Ghana as a Net-Exporter within the Sub-region.