The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Dr. John Abdulai Jinapor, has indicated that residents within Kumasi enclave would, henceforth, enjoy a stable supply and delivery of power for both domestic and industrial use, following the successful installation of a 145 Megavolt-Amperes (MVA) Bulk Supply Point at GRIDCo Anwomaso Substation in the Ashanti Region.
Speaking at a press briefing during his official working visit to the site on Monday, 17th March 2024, he noted that the new transformer replaces that old 66 MVA transformer which was overburdened by the city’s increasing power demands.
“This 145 MVA transformer would greatly improve power delivery in Kumasi because it replaces the old one which is 66 MVA. The power supply has been very erratic for some time before the demand for electricity has increased.”
Dr. Jinapor also disclosed that incontestable records show that John Mahama’s administration inherited an excessively fragile power system, with Ghanaians experiencing load shedding throughout 2024.
He indicated that as of December last year, load shedding had gone as much as 750 megawatts. The situation, according to him, required instant rectification efforts – which result the government has achieved within a few months. He added that the problem has now been resolved.
Dispelling doubts about the possiblity of an imminent power crises, he stated that outages experienced in the last 48 hours was occasioned by a system failure during the migration of grid to the new 145 MVA transformer. He assured that problem has now been resolved.
“The power system we inherited is very fragile and quite weak. Throughout last year, there was load shedding. Regarding the outages within the last two days, it was because of the switch from the old transformer to the new one.”
In view of the 77 MVA boost in supply of power, Dr. Jinapor has indicated that Ghana is now well-positioned to export power neighbouring countries. He noted, for instance, that a delegation from Burkina Faso paid a courtesy call on government last week to request for an increase in the supply of power.
He intimated that it is government’s expectation that Kumasi eventually becomes a generation hub because of the presence of the AMERI and AKSA plants.
Dr. Jinapor also seized the moment to express his gratitude to the Chief Executive Officers of GRIDCo, Electrcity Company of Ghana (ECG), Volta River Authority (VRA), as well as relevant stakeholders for their immense contributions towards the achievement of stable power supply.
“In the long run, we want to see improved delivery of gas because of the AMERI and AKSA plants. If you put all together, we could get about 700 megawatts of power.”
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene – who was on the tour with the sector minister – expressed his delight for the improvement in power supply. He appealed to the power sector companies to strengthen their corporate communications to ensure all that consumers are briefed on new developments in the sector. He said it is important that the region gets access to stable power supply at all times.”
“We will ensure efficient and reliable power supply for the people of Ashanti.”
Meanwhile, the Asantehene, Otumfour Osei Tutu II, has urged Dr. Jinapor to always engage with stakeholders on how best the energy sector can be improved. According to him, it is only by engagement that the all crises would be resolved.
By Sterley Asumadu || Reporter
