The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, has announced that about 1,500 new transformers will be installed nationwide by the end of March to help stabilise electricity supply across the country.
The transformers will be deployed by the Electricity Company of Ghana as part of measures to strengthen the national power distribution network and address recent power fluctuations experienced in some parts of the country.
Dr Jinapor disclosed this at the launch of ECG’s new corporate strategy in Accra on Tuesday, March 10, describing the intervention as a critical step towards ensuring a more reliable electricity supply.
According to him, although ECG had initially planned to procure the transformers on its own, the government decided to intervene after it became clear the company might not have the financial capacity to fully fund the procurement.
“Although ECG had planned to procure about 1,500 transformers, we realised that the company may not have the financial capacity to purchase all of them, and so the government has decided to step in to support the exercise,” he explained.
Dr Jinapor acknowledged that electricity consumers expect a stable power supply, particularly at a time when tariffs are increasing.
“Consumers expect reliable electricity, especially when tariffs are going up.
It should not be the case that immediately you connect to the grid, the power goes off,” he stated.
He noted that the energy sector is highly capital-intensive and that the procurement of equipment such as transformers involves strict and detailed procurement processes due to the scale and technical requirements involved.
The Minister assured that beginning at the end of March, the transformers would be deployed across the country, with some ageing units replaced to improve the reliability of the distribution network.
Meanwhile, the Acting Managing Director of ECG, Julius Kpekpena, described the newly launched corporate strategy as a roadmap to transform the company’s operations and improve customer service.
He said the strategy would focus on modernising operations, deploying technology to improve efficiency, and strengthening the company’s financial sustainability.
Mr Kpekpena also indicated that ECG would intensify efforts to tackle power theft and illegal electricity connections, which continue to affect the company’s revenue and operations.
