By

Elton John Brobbey

30th July 2021

‘Expect stable and reliable electricity supply by December this year’, Energy Minister, Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh has assured all Ghanaians and businesses.

Parts of the Greater Accra and the Ashanti regions have been experiencing intermittent power cuts and the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) blames it on ongoing repairs on some transmission lines.

The Electricity Company of Ghana last month announced power outages for 22-days in parts of the Greater Accra region.

The outages, according to the power distributor, was to allow GRIDCo to complete the last phase of repair works on some bulk supply points and transmission cables in Accra.

In what came to be known as “dumsiesie”, the Energy Minister says the works when completed will lead to improvement in power supply. At a swearing ceremony for the newly constituted board of GRIDCo, Dr. Opoku Prempeh expressed optimism that the country will experience stable, affordable and reliable power by December this year.

But he warns the ministry will not tolerate the supply of what he describes as bad meters to the Ashanti region and other parts of the northern region.

“The ‘dumsiesie’ – we should see tremendous improvement by December – and the people of Kumasi are seeing an improvement, but we need a generation in Kumasi to ensure that never again will ECG send bad meters to Kumasi for the people of Kumasi to suffer as well as the whole of the northern region to suffer.”

“The truth is that 70% of northern Ghana are lifeline consumers which means that the electricity we send there is not conducive for the establishment of a factory. We should improve on the electricity we send there, so GRIDCo must ensure that the 370 KV line going to the north is completed as early as possible”, he indicated.

Meanwhile, Joy News is learning of workers’ agitation at GRIDCo because of the appointment of Mark Awuah Baah as acting Chief Executive Officer.

The Energy Minister is unhappy with the development and explains the rationale behind the appointment.

“The MD wrote to me that he’s taken time off because he has a course to do in Israel and like he has done since I came in I asked Mark Baah to act in his place. I took steps because the Managing Directors term was expiring and there was the need to fill the gap with the promise that it is not my duty to appoint, that’s the president’s [Akufo-Addo’s] powers; but I want you to keep your ears to the ground because I am not too happy in the last few days about the simmering discontent”, he added.

“GRIDCo is undertaking a precious retooling exercise that we do not want it to be jeopardized because of worker agitation. So I expect the board to go and listen to them and advise me” he told the board.

Chairman of the board, Kabral Blay Amihere pledged to resolve challenges facing the Ghana Grid Company.Source: www.myjoyonline.com