GRIDCo, ECG promise end to Kumasi power woes

The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), with funding support from the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), have assured residents of Kumasi that the ongoing transmission and electricity network upgrade project in the city is on course for completion by the end of November 2026.

At a stakeholder briefing and inspection tour yesterday, the Chief Executive of GRIDCo, Mr Frank Asirifi Otchere, acknowledged earlier delays, including a rescheduling from July to accommodate the World Cup, but assured that contractors had resumed full operations.

“The project should have come to an end on November 16. But we have the agreement with the AFD for the contract to go up to the end of November. The contractor has assured us that barring any unforeseen occurrences, they should be able to finish,” he noted.

For decades, Kumasi’s electricity supply network has relied heavily on the ageing K1–K2 transmission line, comprising two conductors stretching from Anwomaso to Ahodwo.

The line has struggled to cope with growing demand, particularly during the evening peak periods when the use of air conditioners and other electrical appliances increases.

As of October 29, GRIDCo announced that the project was 70 per cent complete.

The final phase, scheduled for October 30 to November 29, involves stringing new conductors between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily. To ensure the safety of workers, the existing live wires have to be de-energised, resulting in temporary daytime power interruptions.

The authorities said the interruptions were necessary to address the persistent power supply challenges in Kumasi.

By December, the new 161kV double-circuit transmission line is expected to carry the city’s full electricity load more reliably and improve the stability of supply.

For his part, the Deputy Managing Director of ECG, Mr David Asamoah, noted that electricity demand in Greater Kumasi had increased to 572.1 MVA, exceeding the installed capacity of 547 MVA and placing the network under considerable pressure.

He said the situation had resulted in an overloaded system operating at 105 per cent of its installed capacity.

To address persistent low-voltage problems and frequent feeder trips, he indicated that ECG had embarked on a series of network improvement projects involving investments of $46.7 million, £10.1 million and GH₵28 million across critical transmission and distribution corridors.

He said under the Offinso–Barekese corridor project, the capacity of the transformer at Offinso had been doubled from 10 MVA to 20 MVA, while the displaced unit had been relocated to Barekese.

FROM KINGSLEY E. HOPE, KUMASI

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