As part of efforts to improve supply reliability in the Ashanti Region, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) intends to invest over GH¢1 billion to upgrade and expand its power distribution infrastructure.

This information was made public by the Public Relations Officer for ECG’s Ashanti West Region, Benjamin Obeng Antwi, on Tuesday, May 5.

“We want to assure our cherished customers that there shouldn’t be any panic, as we rightly said and that the ECG is undertaking this massive upgrade to satisfy our customers and this is not the only project that we are doing.

“If you listened to the [Energy] minister’s press conference last week, he mentioned that government is turning its focus to the Ashanti region. Even in our managing director’s press conference, ECG is investing some GH¢1.11 billion in the Ashanti region. What we are doing is we are upgrading the conductors over there from 265 to 400 megawatts,” he added.

His comment comes ahead of the ECG’s planned upgrade within the Ashanti Region, specifically the Kumasi Ridge catchment area, from Wednesday, May 6, through Saturday, May 9.

As part of the upgrade, a higher-capacity 30/39MVA unit will replace the existing 20/26MVA power transformer at the Kumasi Ridge substation.

Therefore, residents within the area will experience power interruptions to facilitate the upgrade of a major transformer. Recently, Ghana has been experiencing temporary power outages, locally known as “dumsor.” However, the Spokesperson and Head of Communications at the Ministry of Energy, Richmond Rockson, has attributed the disruption to damage to the transmission system, with a capacity of about 720 megawatts, caused by the fire.

He described the development as “a significant hit,” explaining that the affected system supplies electricity to major parts of the country. He added, “The system that got affected was about 720 megawatts. That system transmits power to major parts of the country, so this is a significant hit. The Akosombo Dam generates a little over 1,000 megawatts.”

The cause of the blaze which occurred on Thursday, April 23, is yet to be determined by authorities. Meanwhile, similar upgrade projects have been completed at the Adenta Primary Substation, Nmai Dzorm Primary Substation, Lashibi Primary Substation, and Teshie-Nungua Primary Substation.

Ghana's power supply sector is set for a boost as President John Dramani Mahama announces the construction of a new 1,200-megawatt gas-fired power plant as part of efforts to meet rising demand.He announced this during the “Resetting Ghana” tour in the Eastern Region on Saturday, May 2, noting that his government will cut sod for works to start on the project.

He continued that this forms part of a broader strategy to strengthen the country’s power sector by increasing generation and creating redundancy within the system.

“Looking at how the country is growing, the consumption of electricity is increasing. When we came to power, consumption was about 3,500 megawatts, but currently peak demand has risen to about 4,300 megawatts,” he said.

President Mahama stated that the surge in demand is due to the hike in investment and economic activity, driving an expansion of generation capacity to ensure a stable and reliable power supply.

“So it means we have to add more generation so that we can get redundancy,” President Mahama stated.

He disclosed that the Ministries of Energy and Finance have already completed the design and roadmap for the project, paving the way for construction to begin.

Beyond meeting domestic needs, the President noted that the additional capacity will position Ghana to export excess electricity to neighbouring countries, including Burkina Faso, to generate foreign exchange.

“By God’s grace, this year we will cut sod for its commencement,” he added.

The planned plant is expected to play a key role in stabilizing Ghana’s power supply while supporting industrial growth and regional energy trade.