ECG working hard to resolve energy problems

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) is working closely with all the principal players in the electricity sector to find a lasting solution to the current energy crisis facing the country.

It has therefore, appealed to Ghanaians to exercise restraint and bear with it in these trying times as it seeks to resolve the problem together with its partners.

Reverend William Hutton-Mensah, Managing Director, who made the appeal, said the company deeply shared in the difficulties facing its customers in the country.

He was speaking at the inauguration of a GHc1.6 million modern office complex for the Asokwa district of the company in Kumasi on Friday.

It was jointly financed by the company and the World Bank under the Ghana Energy Development and Access Project (GEDAP) Phase-II.

The project formed part of the ECGs strategic policy of promoting corporate visibility and delivering quality services to the doorsteps of its customers.

Over thirty modern office complex buildings and customer service centres have been constructed throughout the company’s operational areas in the last three years under this strategic policy.

Reverend Hutton-Mensah said in addition to the office accommodation, the company was also constructing modern warehouses in Accra, Tema, Kumasi, Takoradi and Cape Coast to ensure prompt deployment of materials to project sites to improve the network and speed of service delivery.

The company was also constantly improving its networks by carrying out major capital investment projects throughout its operational areas.

Reverend Hutton-Mensah mentioned some specific projects being implemented in the Ashanti region to include the reconstruction of the Barekese substation involving the installation of two No. 10MVA 33/11kV power transformers to replace the existing overload 10MVA transformer; construction of a 13km 2x40MVA tower line from Barekese to Offinso; construction of 33/11kV 2x20MVA primary substation at Asante Mampong and connecting it with a 25km 1x40MVA tower line to Agona.

The company was also upgrading the Konongo bulk supply point by constructing a new 2x20/26MVA 33kv/11Kv outdoor substation, the conversion of the Ejisu 33kV outdoor switching station to 2x20/26MVA 33/11kV primary substation and the construction of 9.5km 33kV double circuit tower lines from Kumasi second BSP to Ejisu as well as 20km of 2x40MVA double circuit tower lines from Kumasi station ‘D’ through Kuntanase 33kV switching station to join the Ejisu primary substation.

These works are part of the GHc100 million capital investment projects to interconnect substations in the Ashanti region.

Reverend Hutton-Mensah said these projects had been strategically designed to improve system reliability, increase network capacity, provide adequate redundancy and flexibility, and create alternative sources of power supply to various towns and villages in the region.

He however, said the current challenges in the electricity sector seemed to have clouded all the efforts being made by the ECG to improve service delivery to its customers.

Nana Adu Mensah Asare, Amakomhene, who chaired the function, praised ECG for its effort at improving customer service centres in the country.

He however, asked management to work to ensure speedy service delivery to customers.