THE Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has intensified efforts to address overloading at the Bogoso Bulk Supply Point (BSP) to improve power distribution in the Amenfi areas.
The Western Regional General Manager of ECG, Mr Emmanuel J. Ofori, said this during a media tour of the Ketan Bulk Supply Point in Takoradi.
He explained that the company was constructing a transmission line from the Prestea BSP to help offload excess demand on the Bogoso BSP and resolve persistent power challenges in communities such as Asankrangwa and its surrounding areas.
Mr Ofori indicated that the Bogoso BSP currently supplies power to Bogoso township, Asankrangwa and parts of Enchi, while the Sefwi Wiawso system was also overstretched.
He noted that the situation had affected customers in Amenfi East, Amenfi West and beyond.
He added that contractors working on the project had been given one month to complete the work, after which it would be commissioned to ease the load and bring relief to affected customers.
On operational challenges, Mr Ofori identified vegetation as a major threat to power supply in the region’s forest zones.
He explained that dense vegetation, particularly bamboo, had been a significant cause of recent outages, especially during the rainy season, as strong winds often caused trees and bamboo to fall onto power lines, leading to system trips.
He further noted that ECG’s systems were designed to shut down automatically when vegetation came into contact with power lines, as a safety measure.
Mr Ofori added that the company annually engages contractors to clear vegetation along transmission corridors in forested and difficult terrains to minimise such disruptions.
Touching on power distribution, he explained that electricity was supplied by the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) to ECG through the Ketan BSP, and then transmitted through primary and distribution substations to homes and businesses.
The Acting Western Regional Engineer, Mr Kow Ampah, also pointed out that vegetation and adverse weather conditions continued to affect power lines, stressing that regular maintenance and monitoring were essential to maintaining a stable power supply.
He further indicated that security concerns and the safety of ECG personnel remained critical challenges, and called for stronger collaboration with chiefs, landowners and local communities.
The Foreman in charge of Control Room Operations and System Monitoring, Mr Benjamin Owusu Ansah, disclosed that plans were underway to establish a master station to oversee data and operations across the region.
He explained that the proposed centralised control system would use the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system to manage the electrical grid more effectively.
FROM CLEMENT ADZEI BOYE, KETAN
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