Greater Accra and Ashanti Region likely to experience power outages
Parts of the Greater Accra Region as well as the Ashanti Region are likely to experience power outages in the coming days.
The possible power outage in the two regions according to the Institute for Energy Policies and Research (INSTEPR), will be the result of the inability of power generation companies in the country to generate power for use on the back of the shutdown of the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant for maintenance works by the Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC).
According to the energy think tank, power generating companies in the country in view of the shutdown of the gas plant will make use of Light Crude Oil (LCO) and Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) in generating power for use by Ghanaians.
“Ghana Gas has announced two weeks shut down for maintenance which will mean Gas from the Jubilee and TEN fields are not available to power generating companies. We are told that some generators will run on Light Crude Oil (LCO) and Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) during this period. INSTEPR will be monitoring our generation capacity to ascertain if these contingency plans are well implemented,” said INSTEPR in a review paper on the energy sector.
Power outages in Accra and Kumasi
Major disruptions in the electricity transmission and distribution networks across the country have been experienced since the beginning of this year, with most of the outages occurring in the Ashanti and Greater Accra Regions.
In March for instance, there was a nationwide blackout when a transmission line in the Prestea – Obuasi area developed a fault.
Power companies such as GRIDCo and ECG attributed the power outages to shortage in gas supply from the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo) and faulty transmission and distribution lines.
Read Also: Government to streamline port charges
The two power companies however, assured Ghanaians of reliable power supply outlining ongoing projects which when completed will strengthen the transmission and distribution networks, and stop the erratic power outages.
The projects, the two state-owned power companies noted include: 330Kv Kumasi – Kintampo (Ashanti- Region), Pokuase and Kasoa Substations (Greater Accra) and
Transmission Lines from Volta to Achimota.
Atuabo Gas Plant shutdown
The Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC) has scheduled a planned maintenance shutdown of the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant, starting Monday 4 October 2021.
A statement from GNGC said the scheduled temporary shutdown, which will last between October 4 to 18 October 2021, would allow the team of engineers to undertake routine maintenance of the Atuabo Plant to improve its capacity of continuous productivity and prolong its lifespan.
The key benefit of the maintenance was to enhance the operability and reliability of its processing and transportation infrastructure.
The statement said the outage was consistent with other shutdowns planned by its upstream and downstream partners.
The statement assured all stakeholders that the team would be working with partners to ensure system stability during the shutdown period and minimise the impact on power supply.
