The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) has written to the Power Distribution Service (PDS) requesting it start shedding load from 8:00hrs to 18:00hrs each day in some parts of the capital, Accra.
The request for a 10-hour load shedding on PDS MV/LV lines, according to GRIDCo, is necessary due to the diversion of 330KV Aboadze-Volta transmission line at Pokuase to facilitate the interchange construction works being undertaken by the department of Urban Roads at Pokuase.
The letter noted that the work, which was originally planned to be completed by Thursday, 14 March 2019, will be completed by 19 March 2019 due to some challenges encountered by the contractor.
“We, therefore, wish to request you to extend the outage on affected PDS MV/LV lines in the corridor to March 19, 2018. The outage should be from 8.00hrs to 18.00hrs each day over the period,” the statement said.
Ghanaians have raised concerns about the recent power outages fearing a possible return to the ‘dumsor’ days.
The PDS, however, said the blackouts were due to technical challenges and allayed fears of a return to dumsor.
However, Energy Minister, John Peter Amewu has called on Ghanaians to dismiss claims by the Minority in Parliament that government has returned the country to an era of load-shedding popularly called “Dumsor”.
This follows recent calls by the Minority on government to be candid with Ghanaians and release a load shedding timetable following the recent power outages across the country.
According to the Minority Spokesperson on Mines and Energy, Adam Mutawakilu, the recent power outages are a reflection of the financial troubles facing the energy sector due to government’s mismanagement of the sector.
But while touring some substations and facilities connected to the recent power outages, the Energy Minister assured that government had put the necessary measures in place to resolve the current power issues in the next few day.
“The minority you know is not ready to accept the fact of what is happening now in the power sector. Because they would have wished that this country is brought back to the days of prolonged power outages. I can assure Ghanaians that the recent challenges are as a result of technical challenges and not generation issues. And we are ready to confront this problem to address it so Ghanaians can enjoy uninterrupted power supply.”
Apparently, an expert from the Institute of Energy Security (IES) has urged Ghanaians to embrace themselves up for more power outages.
The Executive Director of the IES, Paa Kwesi Anamoah Sakyi, has said the Power Distribution Services Ghana (PDS), the new company which has taken over from the Electricity Company of Ghana, may have failed already.
Mr Sakyi has accused the PDS of not being truthful to Ghanaians in the wake of renewed energy crisis.
“It is obvious that we are back where we were before and for that matter I want to urge the new power distribution outfit to come out and make it clear to us else we should brace ourselves up for more power outages,” he said on Accra-bas
ed radio station, Neat FM as monitored by Adomonline.com.
Power outages have surged in recent times with with many parts of the country experiencing unsual blackouts for the second week running.
