The Minister of Energy and Green Transition, Dr John Abdulai Jinapor, has undertaken a supervisory inspection of the ongoing Transformer Upgrade Programme being implemented by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), aimed at improving power reliability across the country.
The inspection, which took place on Tuesday at the Nmai Dzorn ECG Substation in Accra, formed part of efforts to monitor progress of the nationwide exercise to replace obsolete, ageing and overloaded transformers.
Addressing journalists after the inspection, Dr Jinapor said the intervention followed a comprehensive review of the electricity distribution system, which revealed that some transformers in use were over 22 years old, contributing to frequent outages and interruptions.
He explained that the programme sought to address longstanding challenges in the distribution network, including overloaded and outdated equipment resulting from years of underinvestment.
The Minister stated that ECG was embarking on a massive rollout of about 2,000 distribution transformers nationwide, describing it as an unprecedented investment in the sector.
He said the exercise, which was currently underway in Accra, would be extended to Kumasi and other regions in the coming months.
He commended ECG’s management for prioritising critical infrastructure and refocusing on its core mandate, noting that the company was making measurable progress in improving efficiency and response to outages.
He urged staff, including district and regional directors, to remain committed and deliver their best to ensure the success of the programme.
The Minister assured consumers that the ongoing upgrade would not result in additional tariffs, explaining that any future tariff adjustments would follow normal regulatory processes and not be driven solely by the exercise.
He, however, appealed to the public to bear with ECG during the implementation period, as temporary outages might occur to facilitate the safe replacement of transformers.
Dr Jinapor explained that the replacement process required shutting down portions of the network briefly, but noted that new systems, including double circuit configurations, would improve flexibility and reduce disruptions in future maintenance works.
He indicated that the exercise would continue over the next three months, six months and up to one year, depending on the scope of work across various locations.
On ECG’s performance, Dr Jinapor said there had been notable improvements, including increased response teams to handle outages and better prioritisation of expenditure, although some challenges persisted.
He said monitoring mechanisms were being strengthened, with key performance indicators introduced to ensure accountability across districts.
Touching on private sector participation in ECG, the Minister said discussions were ongoing and assured that government would engage stakeholders and consider all views before taking any decision.
He reiterated government’s commitment to delivering a reliable and efficient electricity distribution system for the country.
BY STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG
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