Parts of the Ashanti Region are expected to experience more power outages as the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) prepare to commence critical transmission reinforcement projects in June this year.
The move forms part of broader efforts to improve power supply in the region, where transmission and distribution lines are under pressure due to rising energy demand.
Speaking at the government’s accountability series on the energy sector, the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, disclosed that the projects will include the upgrading of key power infrastructure and the installation of new transformers.
“If you take the Ridge area in Kumasi, we are completely changing the transformer at the primary distribution station and putting a bigger one to bolster the voltages. We are also going to work with GRIDCo; they are supposed to close a certain loop which will also bolster the system,” he said.
He explained that the exercise is expected to kick in after the 2026 World Cup, which will place the region under what he described as “minimum outages.”
“Why maybe some people couldn’t do it is that it will involve some minimum outages, but it has to be done. Sometimes when you do these things, it creates some inconvenience. But the cost of postponing it is what we are witnessing today,” he said.
Mr Jinapor noted that despite the temporary discomfort, the intervention is necessary to improve long-term power reliability.
“When we have to take a decision and improve the system, even if it will cause some temporal discomfort, we have to do that. It’s a necessity. After the World Cup we will do that exercise. We will go to Kumasi and explain to them and I am sure that they will appreciate and understand what we are doing. So, we place priority on Kumasi,” he added.
The Minister further revealed that a critical component is being airlifted into the country by CENIT Energy Limited and is expected to arrive in Accra before being transported to Kumasi to strengthen the generation network.
Meanwhile, Arvensis Energy Private Limited, an Indian firm, is expected to begin upgrading the line from Ridge BSP through Kaase Substation to the ECG Boadi Substation.
The Kumasi Line Upgrade Project involves upgrading a 33kV transmission line from 265mm² conductors to 400mm² conductors from Boadi through Kaase to Ridge.
The project aims to strengthen the lines to enable them to transmit a greater amount of power.
“Kumasi has a peculiar issue. The network is very bad. This work Arvensis is supposed to do should have ended in 2023, but it dragged on. We had to do some investigations. We have a roadmap and a green light with ECG to do that loop. It will bolster the transmission system,” Mr Jinapor noted.
On reshuffling leadership at the Ashanti Regional unit of ECG, the Minister refuted claims of political undertones, explaining that the move is aimed at ensuring operational efficiency.
