According to the Public Relations Officer of ECG in the Ashanti Region, Benjamin Obeng Antwi, recent power outages are the result of technical faults within the power distribution system.
Mr. Obeng Antwi clarified that one of the major outages recently was caused by a fault on a line connected to the Ridge Bulk Supply Point in Kumasi. According to him, a conductor on the line running from the Ridge Bulk Supply Point near the Georgia Hotel area to the Aduato Primary Substation was cut at the Bekwai Roundabout.
He explained that although the system normally operates with two lines so customers can be transferred to an alternative line when one develops a fault, in this case, it was not possible to transfer all customers because of the heavy electricity demand from critical facilities like the Ghana Water Limited installations at the Barekese and Owabi headworks, which require stable voltage to pump water to communities who are also along the line.
“If we transfer all customers onto the other line, Ghana Water will have no voltage, and they will not be able to pump water,” he explained.
As a result, some communities had to remain without power temporarily.
Repairs required shutting down both lines
Mr. Obeng Antwi said that although engineers began repair work the following morning after the fault occurred, because the two lines run very close to each other and carry about 33,000 volts, the second line had to be switched off as a safety precaution while engineers repaired the damaged conductor.
Once both lines were off, the outage affected several communities, including Kwadaso, Techiman, Barekese, Asuofia, Kodie, Mankranso, Abuakwa, Maakro, Sepaase, and many others within the enclave.
He said engineers have, however, later repaired the damaged conductor and restored the power supply to those areas.
Mr. Obeng Antwi said ECG also dealt with another outage caused by a fault on an underground cable. He explained that, unlike overhead lines, underground cable faults are more difficult to detect because the damage cannot be seen physically.
But once identified, technicians excavate the area, remove the damaged section of cable, replace it with a new one, and reconnect the line before restoring power.
He said sometimes the excavation process can take time, especially when engineers encounter rocky ground or must work carefully to avoid damaging other cables buried underground.
Mr. Obeng Antwi emphasized that such technical challenges can lead to temporary outages but should not be mistaken for dumsor, since Ghana currently has enough power generation capacity to meet demand.
