The Institute for Energy Security (IES) says the Electricity Company of Ghana’s (ECG) investment of about GH¢200 million in system upgrades and maintenance must translate into a more reliable and stable power supply for consumers.
Research and Energy Security Analyst at the IES, Smith Boahene, said the recent nationwide power outages raise concerns about the resilience of Ghana’s electricity infrastructure and the effectiveness of ongoing maintenance and upgrade programmes.
His comments follow two major power disruptions recorded within the past few weeks, with the latest outage attributed by the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) to a fault around the Akosombo transmission line.
Mr Boahene said the recurrence of such incidents at different points along the electricity value chain—generation, transmission and distribution—requires a critical assessment of the country’s power infrastructure.
He identified deferred maintenance, inadequate investment and ageing equipment as some of the possible factors contributing to the challenges facing Ghana’s power sector.
“ECG, for example, has spent about GH¢200 million to help in the upgrade and maintenance, but if the system operator does not come out with exactly what the challenges have been in the sector in the last four to six weeks or so, it will be difficult for us to also follow along how the development in the grid operation has been,” he said.
The IES is therefore calling for a comprehensive investigation into the two recent nationwide power outages to establish their underlying causes, assess the effectiveness of existing maintenance interventions and put measures in place to prevent similar disruptions.
The Institute believes that investments in the electricity sector must ultimately be reflected in improved grid stability, fewer outages and more reliable power supply to households and businesses.
