In a statement, the Ministry explained that the outage is part of major improvement works on electricity transmission facilities in the area.

Power supply will be suspended from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. to allow engineers to replace the existing 33MVA transformer at the Cape Coast Substation with a more powerful 66MVA unit.

The statement noted that the temporary shutdown is essential to ensure the safe execution of the upgrade, which aims to enhance the reliability and efficiency of the national transmission network.

“Once completed, the new transformer is expected to increase the substation’s capacity, improve power quality, and create room for additional residential and commercial connections in Cape Coast and surrounding communities,” the Ministry said.

The project forms part of the government’s broader effort to expand and modernise electricity infrastructure nationwide through the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition and its allied institutions.

GRIDCO engineers will carry out the work under close supervision, with all necessary precautions in place to ensure the upgrade is completed on schedule and power is restored promptly.

Both the Ministry and GRIDCO have expressed regret for any inconvenience the outage may cause and reaffirmed their commitment to providing a stable and dependable power supply to support economic growth and national development.

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Read the full statement below:

The fault led to a reduction in electricity supply to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), resulting in power disruptions across several communities within the metropolis.

In a notice issued by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, GRIDCo and ECG indicated that technical teams from both institutions are working diligently to resolve the issue and restore power supply as quickly as possible.

The Assembly added that security patrols have been intensified in the affected areas to ensure public safety and maintain order during the outage.

Residents have been urged to remain calm and patient as repair works continue.

“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused and thank you for your patience and cooperation,” the notice said.

In a statement, ECG the storm disrupted their network, causing interruptions to power supply for several customers.

“The Electricity Company of Ghana wishes to inform our cherished customers and the general public that the heavy rainstorm that hit parts of the country today, Saturday, 26th April, 2025, has caused some outages within our network,” the statement said.

ECG has assured customers that their technical teams were actively addressing the situation.

“ECG wishes to assure all affected customers that our engineers are working assiduously to repair the faults and restore power supply,” the statement added, highlighting their commitment to restoring normal service as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, ECG has apologised for the inconvenience caused, stating it is deeply regretted.

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The areas that have experienced the outages the most include Oshiye, Boartianor, Adabraka, Dansoman, Teshie, Adenta, Madina, Mataheko, Kaneshie, Sarpeiman, Shukura, Mallam, Gbawe, Accra New Town, and Ngleshie Amanfro.

A resident of Oshiye, Abena Gyan, reported that unannounced light-offs had been occurring in her area for the past two months. Last Saturday and Sunday, for instance, she noted that there were power outages in her area and its environs, mainly in the afternoon.

Ms. Gyan mentioned that the power outages lasted about two hours before being restored. Previously, on Thursday and Friday, she said there were also outages in the evenings. “As for my area, there have been persistent light-offs,” she emphasized.

Another resident, Hannah Asamoah from Sarpeiman, stated that outages affected her area virtually the entire day last Sunday, preventing her from undertaking domestic and business activities.

She reported that the power went off around 7 a.m. and was restored at 7 p.m. When she called the Electricity Company of Ghana office in Amasaman, an official informed her that the lines were being worked on, hence the outage.

“The unannounced outages are a big worry to us because they affect the work we do at home, especially during the weekends,” she said.

Residents in Mataheko and its environs also complained of the outages, saying that business activities were being negatively impacted.

A steel bender named Robert Tetteh from Ngleshie Amanfro stated that power outages in his area were not surprising. Over the weekend, he noted outages, and last Monday, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., the lights were off.

“It came on around 10 p.m. and went off again. I only woke up in the middle of the night to see the lights back on, so it’s a problem,” he emphasized.

Gas Shortage

The Daily Graphic has contacted the Ministry of Energy for comment, but the ministry stated that its Director of Power would be detailed to respond to the queries; however, he had not responded 24 hours after the inquiry.

Meanwhile, Daily Graphic sources, who do not have permission to comment, disclosed that there has been a drop in the availability of gas from Eni to independent power producers (IPPs) due to commercial issues related to gas supply.

This situation has persisted for about a week, affecting the operations of power producers. The sources indicated that until the commercial issues are addressed, there will be a continuous drop in gas supply to thermal plants for electricity generation.

Eni, for instance, is reportedly owed $400 million by the Government of Ghana. The sources noted that the current situation is unrelated to the Sunon Asogli Plant, which has already shut down due to the government’s indebtedness to it and other IPPs. The bottom line of the power outages, according to the sources, is the lack of sufficient gas supply to meet local demands.

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The situation is particularly harsh for schoolchildren, who struggle to study in the dark due to the lack of proper lighting.

The absence of electricity has not only stalled economic development but also poses serious safety risks.

Candles and lanterns are the main sources of light in these eight communities, severely limiting businesses that depend on power and worsening economic hardships.

Frustrated residents have voiced concerns about increased vulnerability to crime.

Although some communities are already wired for electricity, they remain unconnected to the national grid, creating a stark contrast with nearby areas that have access to power.

Speaking to Channel One News, Assembly members described the situation as alarming, noting the unfulfilled promises from the government.

Member of Parliament for Agona East, Queenstar Mame Pokuah Sawyerr, has also accused the current administration of undermining her efforts to connect these communities to the grid.

Despite successfully connecting 48 other communities, she expressed disappointment that her pleas to the Ministry of Energy have not produced results.

Source: Adomonline.com

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The blackout has affected the entire Chereponi district, impacting essential services such as health care, education, and local businesses.

With the lack of electricity, students are finding it difficult to study at night, and the school’s assistant headmaster has raised concerns about the detrimental effect on their academic performance.

The district hospital is also under strain, relying heavily on fuel-powered generators to keep critical services running.

In response, the Member of Parliament for Chereponi, Hon. Tahidu Abdul Razak, has stepped in to assist by providing the hospital with two drums of fuel to support its operations.

While some local entrepreneurs have seized the opportunity to offer phone charging services, they are also urging a swift resolution to the ongoing power crisis.

The Volta River Authority (VRA) has refrained from making a public statement but has assured that efforts are being made to resolve the issue.

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The blackout has severely impacted daily life, forcing many to sleep outside, vulnerable to mosquito bites and other hardships.

Local businesses have also been hit hard. Tailors, for instance, have been compelled to relocate their operations to their homes to continue serving customers ahead of the upcoming Eid celebrations.

Drink sellers, who depend on electricity to keep their businesses running, are struggling to maintain their livelihoods.

In their desperation, residents are appealing to the government and the media for intervention to alleviate their suffering.

“Gumani is a waterlogged area, we are suffering, mosquitoes everywhere. Those who use the light to work are suffering. Our local businesswomen who do this local drink are suffering too, everything has gone bad because it’s when you sell you get something to feed your children and without electricity, you can’t do anything with it. So, we are pleading with the government and the media to help us so that this problem will be solved,” a resident speaking to Channel One News said.

The Assemblyman for the Gumani/Nyanshegu electoral area, Osama Mohammed assured residents that the problem is being addressed by the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo).

He explained that, the outage resulted from an overloaded transformer, which has since been replaced.

However, the new transformer’s capacity is insufficient, and NEDCo is working to install an additional transformer to fully resolve the issue.

“They told us the transformer is damaged, so they’ll work on it for us. Yesterday they changed our transformer, and the capacity is not up to the old one, so they said they are to add another transformer.

“So, after finishing yesterday’s own, there was a merge that caused the problem, so they traced the merge and told us today they’ll come and correct the issue and solve the problem once and for all,” he said.

Mr Mohammed expressed optimism that the issue would be resolved by the end of the day.

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Speaking on Adom FM Burning Issues, the CEO, Dr. Elikplim Kwabla Apetorgbor said the directive was in order, given that Ghana is currently facing shortage in supply.

“Why should we supply to other countries when we do not have adequate generation for ourselves? The challenge is that VRA is exporting the electricity as a state owned agency so if the nation is in a challenge, they should be the first to suspend any activity that does not benefit the country. So if the President has issued such a directive, then it is in the interest of the nation,” he said.

Chairman of the Energy Committee of Parliament, Samuel Atta Akyea on Tuesday revealed that President Akufo-Addo has instructed VRA to scale back electricity exports to neighbouring countries amidst the recent power outages commonly referred to as ‘dumsor’.

However, IPPG has acknowledged that while the directive may not completely resolve the energy crisis, it will provide some relief and stability within the domestic market.

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Its Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Elikplim Kwabla Apetorgbor, pointed out that the VRA is focusing on exporting power to neighboring countries and is therefore not meeting its domestic obligations.

Dr. Apetorgbor, noted that though the VRA has been tasked to explore the export market to reduce the burden of idle-capacity on government, it must do so within the law.

“It is a regulatory requirement to ensure the domestic demand is met whilst maintaining the set 18% reserve margin”, he explained.

“It is a great disservice to mother Ghana and Ghanaians for VRA to be exporting the most affordable hydro generation to neighbouring countries – Burkina Faso, Togo and Benin whilst the Ministry of Energy, PURC [Public Utilities Regulator Commission] and ECG [Electricity Company of Ghana] remain unconcerned and force the Ghanaian taxpayers pay for the expensive thermal generation and also sleep in the dark”, he continued.

Consistently, he added over 200 megawatts is being exported, stressing it defies simple logic!

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Parts of Accra including Tema, Lapaz, Weija, Mallam, Kasoa barrier and other places experienced power outages on Friday.

In a statement on Saturday, WAPCo explained that its Tema facility completely shut down due to a system glitch at about 10.30 pm.

Gas delivery according to WAPCo resumed at the Tema facility for its customers in Tema at around 6.30 am Saturday.

“The West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo) has resumed gas delivery at its Regulating and Metering Station at Tema, Accra, after a system shut down. At about 10.30 pm last night, WAPCo’s Tema facility completely shut down due to a system glitch.

“Our engineers worked assiduously through the night, and we resumed gas delivery to our customers in Tema at around 6.30 am this morning,” Dr Isaac Adjei Doku, General Manager, Corporate Affairs said in the statement.

Read the statement below:

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The aggrieved citizens expressed their frustration on Adom FM Burning Issues.

A caller who identified herself as a hairdresser stated the recent inconsistent power supply has forced her to use other alternative methods in her work to ensure customer satisfaction.

According to her, the light can go off anytime in the middle of work and therefore has to put measures in place in order not to lose her customers.

Another caller lamented his business is already witnessing a decline due to the outages, stating it will be best if there is a load-shedding timetable or announcement before the blackout.

“I sometimes leave the house for my shop and sit the whole day without light to work. The light can come on just when we are about to close but if that is the case, why won’t ECG inform us so that we can decide whether to work on a night shift to make up for our loss,” he stated.

Most of the callers also bemoaned the situation is worse in their homes as they sometimes have to go two days without light.

They are therefore calling on the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) as a matter of urgency to resolve the issue or provide a load-shedding timetable to help plan their lives and businesses.

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A former Energy Minister under the John Mahama administration, Emmanuel Armah Kofi-Buah, has singled out the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) as being a major contributor to the country’s power sector challenges.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Monday, March 4, the Ellembele MP categorically stated that ECG was the weakest link in the energy sector value chain. The chain mainly comprises production, transmission and distribution.

In recent times, Ghanaians have experienced unstable power supply in parts of the country, but the Electricity Company of Ghana – the national power distributor, has said the company is not undertaking any load shedding that requires a timetable.

But many power consumers, are of the view that the country was experiencing the severe power outages era christened “dumsor” some years ago.

ECG has explained that the intermittent power outages have largely been caused by major maintenance issues and in some cases an overload on their transformers, as well as some localized underground cable faults among others.

Responding to a question about the power situation in the country on PM Express, the former Energy Minister under John Mahama, Armah Kofi-Buah, said, “ECG is the weakest link in the value chain. It’s the biggest headache in the energy sector and it’s a fact.”

If you recall, what causes dumsor [power outages] is not always one thing. It could be a generational shortfall, the issue of fuel and financial challenges in getting some of these things done. As we speak, the reason we don’t have a generational shortfall and say that we don’t have dumsor [power outages] in terms of the generational shortfall, is that the MD of ECG rushes to buy heavy fuel oil for AKSA. The only reason why AKSA is operating is that ECG bought AKSA heavy fuel oil to operate. Sometimes amid a crisis we rush, and there are bigger issues that are confronting us” he argued.

The Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Mr Samuel Dubik Mahama, who was also on the show, attributed the recent power cuts to maintenance issues.
According to him, the company only distributes what is made available to them.

“What we are experiencing now is caused by a lot of overload. A lot of transformers have a lot of customers on them more than what we have prescribed. Apart from underground cable faults within some localities, some of the power plants also undergo maintenance.”

He gave the assurance that the recent challenges that caused the outages have been resolved.

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Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, the Deputy Clerk of the Corporate and Financial Management Services Division in Parliament, stated that all necessary payments to the power distributor have been made.

The power outage occurred as legislators were debating President Akufo-Addo’s recent State of the Nation Address (SONA).

Outgoing Deputy Minister for Finance, Abena Osei-Asare, was addressing the house when the power went off, reportedly as part of ECG’s “Operation Zero Balance” initiative.

However, Mr. Ahumah Djietror expressed frustration, clarifying that Parliament has been fulfilling its payments, although the ECG’s system occasionally fails to register them.

He said, “As far as we are concerned, we’ve made payment, all the payment we have made, some have not reflected in their system, that’s what I’m saying, some do not reflect in their system.

“We have a breakdown, so we showed it to the Deputy Managing Director, we are just coming from his office.”

“I said they should reconcile the account. We are going to get the bank to extract all the payments we’ve made in terms of the dates.

“I’m not sure how it’s captured, so there’s a gap in terms of the reconciliation as to what is the outstanding Bill.”

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The senior high school’s campus experienced a total blackout, forcing students to rely on torchlights for studying.

This situation raised concerns among guardians and stakeholders and triggered widespread controversy about the state of utility in second-cycle institutions across the country.

According to reports, the school owes approximately GH¢5,000 in post-paid electricity bills since July 2023.

ECG’s External Communications Manager emphasized that the school will not be reconnected until it meets certain basic requirements in line with the company’s revenue mobilisation drive.

Speaking on Joy FM, Laila Abubakari explained that one of these requirements is for the school authorities to settle at least 50% of the outstanding bills.

Another solution she floated would be that “someone has to guarantee for them” that “payment will be made “within the shortest possible time.”

 “The problem ECG finds itself in is consistent debt. And every month, our debt profile is different. So we have to be more aggressive because we have bills to pay.

“We have issues so we have to be less compassionate, unfortunately,” she added on the Super Morning Show.

Meanwhile, a staff of the school also expressed worry as to why pre-paid users were also cut off if it was a matter of arrears.

But Mrs Abubakari explained that it was a strange development adding that her outfit would investigate how it occurred.

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Callers into Joy FM’s Super Morning Show expressed their displeasure, citing the lack of prior communication and explanation for the widespread outage.

“We’ve suffered a lot. I could not iron my kid’s uniform. I have to wake up around 5.00 am and go to a friend’s place to iron before I take them to school.

“Sometimes we have to get serious in this country…it is annoying,” a caller lamented.

Another caller also said: “It was off 6 pm on Tuesday and it came this morning – Wednesday at 6.30 am. It is red just say it is red and Ghanaians will empathise with you but no you come out and lie.”

The Minority in Parliament has attributed the situation to a 500-megawatt shortfall caused by non-payment for gas supplied through the West African Pipeline Company (WAPCo).

John Jinapor, Ranking Member on the Mines and Energy Committee, suggested that a load-shedding exercise could be imminent.

In an interview on Joy FM’s Midday News, he emphasized that power outages are avoidable situations if financial obligations are met.

“The Ministry of Finance has been prompted and they are aware. If they had paid the money, this unfortunate situation would have been curtailed,” he added on Wednesday, January 10, 2024.

He claimed that, the West African Gas Pipeline had been shut down due to the government’s failure to pay its debt obligation, resulting in gas being stranded in the eastern enclave of Tema.

“I can confirm to you that indeed the WAPCo gas pipeline has been shut. It has been shut because of nonpayment of gas supply to the pipeline. This has therefore resulted in about 116 standard cubic feet of gas stranded in the eastern enclave which is Tema, not able to get gas,” he said.

According to him, the situation has also led to the shutdown of two other gas pipelines and the limitation of gas supply to the Asogli power plant.

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On October 26, the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) in a statement explained that the cause of the power cuts was due to limited gas supply to Tema leading to a shortage of 550MW at peak time.

The shortage led to the power outage on that Thursday night. GRIDCo subsequently apologized for the inconvenience caused.

Later on Saturday, October 28, the ECG and GRIDCo in a joint statement, announced the successful restoration of power as a result of the resumption of gas supply to the generating plants in Tema from Takoradi.

But the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), which receives gas from the West African Gas Pipeline Company for onward supply to the power plants, has absolved itself of blame for last Thursday’s power supply challenges.

In a press statement issued on Monday, October 30, GNPC said some “misinformed individuals depicting themselves as energy analysts” have blamed it for the outage.

According to the nation al oil company, some analysts had claimed that the incident happened due to their failure to pay West Africa Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCO) its debt.

It explained that it is ECG that pays WAPCO directly or otherwise for gas transported.

“The gas is transported to the Independent Power Producers (IPPS) to generate power that ECG distributes to consumers as electricity. Ultimately, monies received by ECG after the sale of electricity is utilised to pay, either directly or indirectly, all the electricity service providers downstream of the value chain, including WAPCO.”

“Traditionally, ECG pays for gas transportation invoices through the Cash Waterfall Mechanism (CWM). However, funds received by GNPC from ECG have not been sufficient to pay for the WAPCO invoices, especially in recent times.

But the Managing Director of ECG, Dubik Mahama, while speaking on PM Express on Monday, October 30, expressed disappointment over GNPC’s handling of the matter, saying the press release was unnecessary.

“What I know is that within the value chain, we are all supposed to work together. When I read their [GNPC] statement it saddens me because this is not something I was expecting because I felt the problem had been resolved and everybody was moving forward, and both GRIDco and ourselves had issued a statement to that effect, so it was neither here nor there, and I don’t even know why they should have even issued the statement in the first place” he argued.

But that being said, we work with something called the Cash Waterfall Mechanism (CWM) in distributing the resources under the collections that we make in a month. The new cash waterfall provides for tier one and tier two. So tier one is the IPPs, and I must say for four months now, the ECG has been paying the IPPs and ECG hasn’t failed, it has been constant with the IPPs, and you can check with all of them,” he noted.

According to him, earlier this year, when WAPCO shut down on GNPC, it was the ECG that stepped in to make payment for restoration of WAPCO supplies without going public with it.

“Conversations concerning WAPCo and GNPC, this is not the first time ECG has had to step in and bail GNPC out. Legally, ECG has no contract with WAPCO so the CWM is a suggestive approach to making sure that GNPC gets something on a monthly, weekly or bi-weekly basis to pay these bills. What is sad about this press release is that they failed to mention what ECG did for them when this thing came up” he posited.

Asked whether he did not think the power outage was the ECG’s fault, he said “Honestly, I don’t because if we have agreed to something that legally it’s not on us, then to what end? However, we agreed to CWM because we wanted an equitable share of the money that ECG collects now on a monthly basis.

“When WAPCO was writing WAPCO never wrote to ECG. ECG sells electricity. We don’t even know the quality of gas or whatever. Ours is electricity. Every PPA that we sign, when we agree on the price in cents, it has a fuel component in it. The fuel is always a pass-through because now we give them gas from our fields, so this whole conversation has nothing to do with the availability of gas, but more so the transportation of the said gas from the western corridor to the eastern corridor; that’s the reverse flow, and that’s the reason we are where we are.”

Mr. Mahama ECG is currently experiencing a dip in revenues because power purchase during the rainy season is usually less, making it difficult to raise enough to meet their final obligations.

“Electricity sale is seasonal, there is downtime, and downtime is when the weather is cold,” he noted.

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Our understanding from the Ghana Grid Company Limited was that there was a limited supply of gas to Tema occasioning the power supply gap of 550MW.

This obviously inconvenienced a lot of citizens and social media was awash with Ghanaians venting their frustrations on the handles.

Keen observers of the energy sector knew that this was a disaster waiting to happen since the non-operationalization of the Cash Waterfall Mechanism (CWM).

The Cash Waterfall Mechanism (CWM) was instituted to prevent the growth of the sector-wide indebtedness as government services what has come to be known as legacy debts in the energy sector.

A cash waterfall payment system is a method used to allocate and distribute cash flows from an investment or project (in this case the energy sector) among various stakeholders, following a predetermined hierarchy and set of rules.

A waterfall payment system allows debtors to pay higher-tiered creditors their full interest and principal first before lower-tiered creditors receive their own principal and interest payment.

Debtors usually structure this mechanism into tranches in order to prioritise and finance the loans with the highest debt obligations, principal and interest inclusive. The idea is that the most expensive debts should be serviced first.

This mechanism is part of a wider strategy to ensure equitable distribution of energy sector revenues to all stakeholders in the value chain.

In July 2017 the the CWM which had been introduced by the NDC government in late 2016 was again approved for implementation by the New NPP government.

This was to ensure an equitable and transparent distribution of energy sector revenues amongst all stakeholders in the sector’s value chain. The CWM became effective for companies and entities servicing more than one loan.

After initially proving to be relatively effective in controlling the sector’s debt, the mechanism is increasingly becoming unavailing, as it is unable to pay for 80 per cent of power sold to ECG. The CWM pays for only 20 per cent of delivered energy invoices.

=The remaining 80 per cent keeps adding to the arrears which has resulted in ECG owing the IPPs alone about $2 billion. The same can be said about the accumulation of debt as a result of fuel used by the power generators and the transmission of same.

The latest effect of the non-functioning of the Cash Waterfall Mechanism is what was experienced on Thursday, when about 30 per cent of more of ECG customers had no lights.

The Ghana Grid Company (Gridco) in a statement stated “The Ghana Grid Company Ltd (GRIDCo), the ‘operator’ of the National Interconnected Transmission System (NITS) informs the general public that due to limited gas supply supply to Tema. There will be a supply gap of 550MW at peak time. This will affect power supply to customers in some parts of the country,”

As part of the Gas Transportation Agreement between the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the West Africa Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo) to transport gas from Aboadze to power plants in Tema, WAPCo demanded that the government of Ghana put up a guarantee against failure by ECG to pay for gas transportation.

This was because WAPCo was wary of the financial challenges of the power off-taker and were thus unsure they will be paid anytime ECG was invoiced.

Government elected the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to serve as the guarantor. It was therefore not surprising that when ECG defaulted in its payments WAPCo wrote letters to the guarantor for payment.

GNPC subsequently wrote a series of letters to ECG regarding the non-payment of transportation invoices to the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo).

In these letters, GNPC informed ECG about the intention of WAPCo to suspend gas transportation services on October 17, 2023, if the minimum expected payment of $8.31 million was not paid by the close of business on October 17, 2023.

The total cumulative outstanding invoices currently stand at US$17.13 million after GNPC paid an amount of $2.00 million. All attempts to get ECG to make the required minimum payments have been unsuccessful. So yesterday WAPCo carried out their threat and curtailed the flow of gas from the Western Region to Tema hence the limited supply of gas to the Tema enclave causing a supply gap of 550MW at peak time.

Government must as a matter of urgency intervene as the shareholder of  ECG and make the minimum expected payment of $8.31 million so that Ghanaians would not have to sleep in darkness again. In the medium to long term, government must make arrangements to pay off the total indebtedness of ECG to WAPCo and immediately re-institute the Cash Waterfall Mechanism.

This is because very soon the IPPs will also be on the neck of ECG for their accumulated arrears and government must be ready to intervene to avoid DUMSOR. The time to act is now.

******

The writer is the Bongo MP and a member of the Mines and Energy Committee.

In a statement, GRIDCo said the gap in supply is 550MW at peak time and will affect power supply.

They have therefore apologised for any inconvenience the development will cause.

Below is the statement:

According to the outfit, the outage occurred after its 330KV Aboadze- Anwomaso power generating units tripped followed by a number of lines in the western corridor of the grid triggering a system disturbance.

In a statement, GRIDCo explained the development caused all thermal plants, Bui generators and customer lines to trip.

GRIDCo said a raging bush fire under its high voltage lines near Tarkwa has been identified as the source of the power line trips.

“A fire tender from Tarkwa Goldfields is on site to bring the fire under control. Meanwhile, restoration of the grid commenced immediately and efforts are ongoing to restore power to all affected areas and customers,” the statement assured.

Meanwhile, GRIDCo has apologised for any inconvenience the outage may have caused customers.

Since July 27, 2022, the area has been without electricity due to the decision of the ECG to cut power to the area following actions by a section of the people not to allow the company to replace their postpaid meters with prepaid ones.

Event

Addressing a press conference in Somanya last Monday, the Divisional Chief of Okper, Nene Anyeenorgu Teye Agor IX, said the people had no problem with the ECG and would, therefore, continue to support the company in its prepaid meter installation activities.

“We want to state categorically and emphatically that no citizen of Yilo Krobo has, on record, ever resisted or confronted or obstructed the ECG in its line of duty since the company started the prepaid meter installation exercise some few weeks ago,” he said.

According to him, there had not been any reported incident of attack or threat or difficulty encountered by staff of the ECG by residents of Yilo Krobo because “Yilo Krobo citizens are law-abiding and will never do anything untoward to disturb the peace”.

“The ECG has always been working hand in hand with the Yilo Krobo paramountcy in the execution and administration of its statutory mandate and responsibility. The company has, at no time, complained to the paramountcy or chiefs of having difficulty with residents of Yilo Krobo during the ongoing installation of the prepaid meters,” the chief added.

He further pleaded with the ECG to temper justice with mercy and restore power to the area, saying: “The power outage is affecting every facet of our lives in the Yilo Krobo Traditional Area, especially Somanya, the traditional and municipal capital, where schools are suffering and every economic activity has come to a halt.”

Disappointment

Nene Agor said the people of Yilo Krobo felt disappointed, deceived and saddened by the decision of the ECG to indefinitely shut down power, not only in communities where some people had disrupted ECG activities but also extended it to Yilo Krobo, where the people were always cooperating with the company in the deployment of prepaid meters, adding: “The effect of this general disconnection is more harmful and costly to the country than one can imagine.’’

“National Security and the Public Utilities Regulation Commission (PURC) are aware of the way Yilo Krobo is helping to resolve ECG challenges in the area,’’ he said.

In a press statement addressing the power situation, it said all plants in Aboadze, Tema, except the Kpone Thermal Plant Power which generates power from the faulted equipment were forced to shut down.

This, GRIDCo said, caused forced outages within the coastal corridor of the National Grid which led to power supply interruptions in some parts of Greater Accra, Western, Central, Middle and Northern parts of the country.

While interventions were being made to fix the faulted equipment, the Akosombo and Kpone Thermal plants were of service to supply power.

Read full statement below for more

ECG cut power to the area days after a group calling themselves United Krobo Foundation threatened to deal with staff on their outstanding issues.

The group claimed to have a copy of an agreement between their forefathers and the Volta River Authority which suggests that Krobos should enjoy free electricity, but ECG has not complied and has further overbilled them since 2012.

Their protest led to the withdrawal of staff from the Krobo enclave and a subsequent power cut to Yilo and Manya Krobo with the explanation that the transformer that serves the enclave had broken down.

But to the Minority Caucus, it is untenable for the ECG to punish innocent residents for the actions of a few within the affected areas.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Ranking Member for Mines and Energy, John Jinapor.

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The statement also called on all stakeholders, particularly the Ministry of Energy to, as a matter of urgency, intervene and promote dialogue towards resolving the impasse.

Mr Jinapor, who is also the Yapei-Kusawgu Member of Parliament, further appealed to the chiefs and residents to ensure the safety of the ECG staff.

Many parts of the country including Takokradi, Dansoman, Nima, Teshie, Tarkwa, and areas in the Bono Region reported the outage.

According to the outfit, its power generating units at Aboadze and Bui tripped, hence the incident.

“All generating units at Aboadze Enclave and Bui tripped, resulting in a power outage in sections of Accra, the Western, Middle, and Northern parts of the country.

“At 4.50GMT on Tuesday, November 9, 2021, in the process of restoring the remaining BSPs, a second disturbance occurred, resulting in the loss of generating units at Aboadze Enclave and Bui.

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“This led to another interruption of electricity supply to several areas of Accra, the Western, Middle, and Northern parts of the country,” a statement read in part.

Meanwhile, GRIDCo assured, “Power has been restored to all the Bulk Supply Points to provide a stable power system for dependable and efficient power supply for national and economic growth.”

Read the statement below:

The outage, according to ECG, is to pave way for some planned maintenance works to improve service delivery.

The power distribution company, in a public notice, stated the outage will last between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm.

The areas to be affected include Saasabi, Bawaleshie, Oyibi, Apollonia, Kordiabe and Aburi. Others are Glefe, Gbegbeyise, Wiaboman, Mallam, Kokroko, Awoshie, Abasie, and its environs.

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Meanwhile, ECG has apologised for any inconvenience that will arise out of the exercise.

Read the statement below:

The outage, according to the power distributor, is to allow the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) to execute “planned works” within the Achimota – Mallam corridors for the decommissioning and replacement of existing lines with new higher-capacity conductors.

The company announced this in a statement on Wednesday, stating the exercise will last till December 5, 2021.

“The exercise will help to transfer as much load as possible to Pokuase, Achimota, Accra East and Tema in order to limit loading at Mallam and Accra Central substations,” part of the statement read.

The affected areas categorised into groups A, B, and C include; Adabraka Old Timers, Teachers Hall, Valco Trust, Mamprobi, Asylum Down, Mateheko, Sukura, Chorkor, Abbosey Okai and Accra Brewery, among others.

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Meanwhile, ECG has appealed to the general public to bear with the inconveniences that will arise out of the exercise.

It further assured the general public that the project will be completed on time.

Check out the affected areas below:

He said the current situation of unannounced power outages could persist till the end of the year by which time the company would have resolved the challenges facing its power systems.

According to him, the situation being experienced by a section of residents in Kumasi and its environs was due to system challenges and not generation problems.

Time table
However, he said the company was unable to provide a timetable for the power outage as there was no planned programme to take off power.

“We take off power as and when GRIDCo reduces power supply to us so as at now, we cannot tell when and where will go off at a particular time”, he said.

Challenges

Addressing the media in Kumasi, the MD said the overload on its Ridge Bulk Supply Point (BSP) always caused the system to fail especially during peak hours.

Aside from them, he said due to the long distance of the region from the production point, there was always a drop in voltage and the issue “is compounded during peak hours.“

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Solutions

He said government was currently building a 330 KV line from Anwomanso to northern Ghana where power would be transmitted directly to the northern part of the country and thus take off the load on the Ridge BSP.

The line connecting Kumasi up to Bolgatanga has been divided into three lots with the Lot One being Anwomanso to Kintampo, Lot Two being Kintampo to Tamale and Lot Three, from Tamale to Bolgatanga.

Currently, works on Lots Two and Three have been completed leaving Lot One which is still under construction.

Mr Agyeman-Budu was hopeful when works on Lot One were completed and the load taken off the main BSP station at Ridge, things would normalize.

Again, he said plans were far advanced for the relocation of the Ameri Plant in Ashanti region to serve as a backup whenever there was a shortfall in supply of power.

The Yapei-Kusawgu Member of Parliament believes GRIDCo may be going through financial challenges, a situation which has accounted for recent power outages.

GRIDCo has issued a statement explaining the cause of the recent power outage with assurance that works are underway to fix the problem.

But Mr Jinapor on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen bemoaned why the outfit could not inform the citizenry prior to the works.

“They are not telling us the truth but I am sure money is the major cause of the outage we are experiencing now. They are not able to maintain their equipment because we have enough capacity when it comes to generation,” he said.

To him, the government and the outfit at large must come clear on the state of affairs to aid Ghanaians plan their lives ahead of time.

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“If they are saying the transmission work is what is causing the outage, does it mean we are going to have this situation every year because we do this annually? It is proper for them to give us a timetable,” he added.

“We should find out whether or not they are in financial difficulty then we know what to do but I believe we need to invest in GRIDCo and find them money,” he urged.

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has explained the development is to pave way for planned maintenance work to improve service delivery.

ECG, in a statement, noted the affected areas include Tuba, Kokrobitey, Adentan, Teiman, Oyarifa, Amrahia, Frafraha and Danfa among others.

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The outfit has since apologised for any convenience the outage will cause.

Read the full statement below:

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has explained the development is to allow the Ghana Grid Company to carry out major maintenance works at the Sogakope Bulk Supply Point.

ECG, in a statement, noted the affected areas will include Keta, Dabala, Sogakope, Adidome, Akatsi and it’s environs.

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They have, however, apologised for any convenience the power cut will cause.

Read the statement below:

The power outage affected the Central, Western, Ashanti and Greater Accra regions as well as the Northern parts of the country.

GRIDCo in a statement said at exactly 2:37 pm there was a major system disturbance following power swings from the Cote d’ivoire interconnection with Ghana leading to outages in parts of the country.

Meanwhile, GRIDCo in its statement has apologized to the general public for the inconvenience caused insisting it remains committed to its mandate of delivering reliable power supply.

The refinery currently relies on power generated internally as well as from the national grid but TOR sometimes has to shut down due to power outages.

However, the 120 tonnes-per-hour boiler is expected to produce steam for its newly installed 6.5 megawatts generator.

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TOR has a total power consumption of about 7.5 megawatts.

5.5 megawatts out of the 7.5 megawatts is generated internally with three 70 tonnes-per-hour steam boilers feeding the refinery’s generator.

The three steam boilers are running obsolete and are not operated at the maximum level.

Utilities Operations Manager at TOR, Alhaji Aminu Abubakar in an interview said TOR will have excess power after installing the new boiler.

“When this new boiler comes into operation, we will be able to commission our newly installed 6.5 megawatts generator and that means we will have excess power in the system”, he indicated.

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Projects Manager at TOR, William Ankamah Anum said installation and commissioning of the 120 tonnes per hour steam boiler will take about seven months to complete.

“We are happy to receive this boiler for our operations. The next step is to have it installed. We will do the mechanical works, electrical works, as well as instrumentation, works. It will take us seven months to be able to fully install and commission this boiler”, he said.

Meanwhile, Public Affairs Manager at TOR, Dr Kingsley Antwi-Boasiako believes shutdowns will be a thing of the past.

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“This 120 tonnes per hour boiler means one main thing to TOR-efficiency. Although we are keeping our expectations moderate, we hope that instances, where TOR has to shut down as a result of the unavailability of power, would be reduced to the barest minimum”, he stated.

According to him, TOR would be able to wean itself off the national grid and possibly sell the excess power in the months ahead.