Power supply improves in Volta and Oti region amid coronavirus

Power supply and its reliability in the Volta and Oti regions have improved significantly following intensified maintenance works, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has said.

The Company said the move was to enable people to stay at home to help curb the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ghana News Agency (GNA) was told the availability of electricity in the Volta Region stood at 97.52 percent.

Mr Delali Oklu, the General Manager of ECG, Volta/Oti regions, said as part of efforts to improve on supply, the Company recently commissioned Special Maintenance Teams at the regional and district levels, to identify, detect and submit faults for immediate redress.

He said as a result of numerous maintenance activities, feeders at Ve-Golokwati, Asiekpe-Waya, Kpetoe and Nkwanta, which used to have frequent power cuts had seen massive improvement.

A feeder is a high tension line that sends electricity to the transformer for distribution to customers.

Mr Oklu said the exercise had also improved voltage profile of the supply system, leading to increased quality of power and reduction of outages in the catchment areas.

He urged prepaid customers to use the ECG Power App to pay bills to minimise physical contacts and congestion at the offices.

“However, prepaid customers in Ho and Hohoe districts can still visit our offices or any private vendor to purchase prepaid credit for their meters,” he added.

Mr Jones Makumator, the Regional Engineer, said the Company had replaced old and weak insulators and upgraded undersized electricity conductors (cables) for efficient power supply.

He said it also carried out many injection projects in areas like Lolito, Dzodze, Ho-Barracks Newtown, Dambai-Kwame Akura, Anyako Kpota and Apedido, at a cost of GH¢ 511,616.36, to relieve overloaded transformers for continuous power supply.

“The Company did these injection projects because now that a lot of people are home due to this pandemic, we envisaged that domestic demand for electricity was going to increase, hence the need to increase the capacity of some overloaded transformers to ensure that our customers experience stable power supply,” Mr Makumator added.

He said ECG also started replacing rusted head gears along the coastal areas from Adina to Azizadzi and from Anloga to Anyanui at GH¢153, 229.78.

“Once this project is completed, it will enhance the reliability of power supply to customers along the coast,” Mr Makumator said.

He said the Company was also installing a voltage booster station at Hohoe to help improve the voltage profile and ensure uninterrupted power supply in the Municipality.