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Management of the Electricity Company Limited (ECG) has expressed worry over intermittent power outages currently being experienced in some parts of the Ashanti region.
According to the managing director of ECG, Kwame Agyeman Budu, the company, after series of system investigations identified several causes of the unstable power supply including weak transformers, vegetation, broken and burnt electricity poles and third party damages.
Unauthorized power connections (illegal connections) which overload transformers to exceed their power control capacity contrary to ECG program power management for communities were also identified as a major course of un-programmed power outages causing (automatic power-tripping) in the system during peak hours.
The most affected areas of the automatic power tripping in the region include Piase, Mankranso, Manso Nkwanta, Abrankese, Kronom, Juansa, New Edubiase, Tutuka, Abodom, Abono, Atwimah Agogo, Apire, Fomena, and Ntensere.
However, to pre-empt the development, the company has begun the construction of new Power primary sub-station at Agogo which will link Agogo, Konongo, Juaso and Ejisu to provide stable power for consumers in the areas experiencing intermittent power supply.
The project is estimated to cost the power distribution company a sum of GH¢15 million to re-enforce the system. In the medium term, the company is pumping in another GH¢29.5 million to strengthen the existing networks in the region to ensure reliable and stable power supply for domestic and industrial use.
Addressing the Media in Kumasi on Friday, May 8, 2020 the managing director of ECG Kwame Agyeman Budu said, the exercise will replace all weak electrical cables, old and weak transformers.
Touching on power theft, he urged Ghanaians to protect the power they are consuming at a cost by reporting power thieves to either the police or ECG offices.
“By our system assessment, we have realised that most of our transformers are overloaded because each transformer is programmed to pick specific load of power in every community for both domestic and industrial use. Therefore if you steal power through illegal connection, what it means is that you are overloading the transformer outside the programmed system at our blind side.
“Therefore when the transformers are overloaded it feeders automatically trip causing unstable power distribution. Therefore, let us all do our part to protect the system for our collective good and benefit’’.