Credit : Ghanatodayonline
The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, has revealed that almost 200 transformers have been installed across the country as part of a broader effort to replace approximately 2,500 obsolete units.
He claims that the latest transformers possess greater capacity, transitioning from the commonly used 20 KVA systems to more efficient models of 30 KVA and higher to satisfy increasing demand.
Addressing the Government Accountability Series in Accra on Monday, April 27, he stated that the initiative focuses on enhancing voltage quality and boosting the dependability of electricity delivery.
Mr. Jinapor mentioned that the emphasis on installing these enhanced transformers is directed towards significant primary substations to improve voltage levels in important areas.
He pointed out areas like Adenta, Lashibi, and Teshie-Nungua as communities currently reaping the rewards of the enhancements, emphasizing that the advancements are noticeable.
The current rollout aims to alleviate the strain on overloaded infrastructure and improve the overall reliability of power distribution nationwide.
“Government is addressing this issue head-on by implementing a nationwide transformer upgrade and replacement programme. As an immediate intervention, this month alone, we have installed almost 200 transformers,” he said.
Accordint to the Minister the fire incident severely damaged the control room responsible for power evacuation.
He characterized the incident as one of the most significant challenges the power sector in Ghana has faced lately
“This incident represents one of the most serious and unprecedented disruptions ever experienced in Ghana’s power sector,” he said.
Explaining the technical process, he noted that electricity generated from hydro and thermal plants must first pass through the control room before being transmitted for distribution.
“When they generate the power… it has to go to the control room first. Then the control room takes the power through the switch yard and distributes it,” he stated.
“When you lose the control room, it means that on the spur of the moment, you cannot evacuate any power, It is crippling a critical component of the transmission system, leaving over 1,000 megawatts of power stranded at Akosombo,” he said.
Even though other generation facilities remain in operation, he admitted that the shutdown of Akosombo has resulted in a significant supply deficit
“Despite the loss of Akosombo, all the other plants have been running, but it leaves a major deficit,” he said.
The Minister further noted that the situation has led to supply disruptions in parts of the country, affecting households and businesses.
“Obviously, with such an unfortunate situation… it results in supply disruption across parts of the country,” he said.
He assured Ghanaians that restoring stable electricity remains the government’s top priority.
“My foremost desire and objective is to ensure that every Ghanaian… enjoys a stable, reliable, uninterrupted power supply,” he said.
“Our engineers have remained on site… some of them have stayed there for three continuous days without leaving, working around the clock under very difficult conditions,” he added.
