Kumasi Power Outages: GRIDCo reveals what is being done to end outages

The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) has outlined a major electricity infrastructure upgrade for the Ashanti Region, including plans to more than double the capacity of a key transmission line, as it faces mounting pressure over persistent power outages in Kumasi and surrounding communities.

The company's Chief Executive Officer, Ing. Frank Asirifi Otchere, led a delegation of management officials to brief Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene, on the ongoing projects and measures being implemented to address the region's electricity supply challenges.

The engagement, which also involved officials of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), was followed by an inspection of key project sites, including ongoing transmission line stringing works, the GRIDCo Kumasi Substation and the Anwomaso Bulk Supply Point.

The briefing comes amid growing public frustration over intermittent power interruptions in the Ashanti Region, particularly in Kumasi, where residents and businesses have repeatedly complained about unreliable electricity supply and called for a clear load-shedding timetable.

The latest disruptions are partly linked to major infrastructure works on the 161kV Anwomaso–Ahodwo transmission line and related transformer installations. GRIDCo and ECG have explained that some of the interruptions are necessary to allow engineers to undertake critical work safely.

Under the ongoing transmission project, GRIDCo is replacing an existing line with a higher-capacity circuit designed to increase transmission capacity from approximately 360 megawatts (MW) to 1,000MW.

The project runs from the Anwomaso Substation through Ahinsan, Kaase, Sewua, Asekyem and Guinness before terminating at the Ridge Substation. Engineers are working on the transmission towers and stringing new conductors to accommodate the increased capacity.

Ing. Otchere has explained that the existing transmission infrastructure has struggled to meet growing electricity demand, making the upgrade critical to improving the movement of power from generation sources to distribution centres in the region.

"When contractors get to a specific section along the corridor, affected communities will go out for maybe one or two days," he said, explaining that the interruptions would be restricted to between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., with electricity restored each evening.

The transmission line upgrade is expected to be completed by the end of November 2026.

Beyond the transmission line works, GRIDCo is also expanding capacity at the Ridge Substation through the installation of a 145-megavolt-ampere (MVA) transformer, replacing an older 66MVA unit.

The company is also constructing a fifth feeder to supply ECG, which is expected to add approximately 80MW of capacity to the existing infrastructure by December 2026.

Ing. Otchere said the additional feeder and transformer capacity would help meet rising electricity demand in Kumasi and support the wider power supply network.

ECG, on its part, is undertaking distribution network maintenance along key routes, including Offinso, Barekese and Bekwai, as well as the feeder connecting the Airport area to the Anwomaso Substation.

ECG Deputy Managing Director, Ing. David Asamoah, said the company had increased its maintenance schedule from once to twice a week to ensure the necessary work was completed within the December deadline.

"All these projects are critical and cannot wait," he said, adding that the company needed to balance the workload by undertaking maintenance twice weekly to prevent broader system failures.

He assured consumers that ECG would adhere to its policy of giving at least 72 hours' notice before scheduled power interruptions.

The utilities have also indicated that the outages would be managed section by section to limit the number of communities affected at any given time.

The Regional Minister, Dr Amoakohene, appealed to residents to exercise patience and cooperate with the engineers as the projects progressed.

He also raised concerns about the theft of materials, particularly in areas where new transmission infrastructure is being installed, and indicated that security agencies would be engaged to protect the facilities and support the work.

Background to Ashanti's power outages

The latest infrastructure interventions follow months of complaints about unreliable electricity supply in Kumasi and other parts of the Ashanti Region.

In December 2025, the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition assured residents of improved power supply following the addition of generation capacity associated with the AKSA Energy project at Anwomaso. The assurance came after outages had plunged parts of the region into darkness.

In July 2026, GRIDCo and ECG announced a major upgrade of the Kumasi–Anwomaso transmission line, targeting an increase in its capacity from approximately 364MW to 1,000MW.

The project was intended to address transmission constraints and accommodate increasing residential and industrial demand.

However, the final stages of the work have required temporary interruptions to electricity supply.

On October 29, 2026, GRIDCo and ECG announced that the 161kV Anwomaso–Ahodwo transmission line project had reached 70 per cent completion, with planned outages scheduled from October 30 to November 29, excluding weekends.

The interruptions are expected to take place between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on specific weekdays when engineers reach the affected sections of the transmission corridor. ECG is responsible for communicating the detailed schedule to affected communities.

GRIDCo has maintained that the temporary inconvenience is necessary to strengthen the transmission network and improve electricity supply reliability across the region.

The company expects the major infrastructure interventions to be completed by the end of November, with additional improvements to the supply network expected by December 2026.