The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) has outlined plans to transform Ghana’s energy transmission system to ensure improved and reliable supply of power in the country.
This forms part of efforts by the energy transmitter to ensure a robust grid system in order to meet the increasing energy demands of businesses and households particular in underserved areas of the country.
Outlining these plans at a media briefing in Accra on Monday, Chief Executive Officer, Ing. Ebenezer Kofi Essienyi said GRIDCo has listed two main projects for commencement this year.
The projects, he said, are the Ghana-Germany Compact and the Western Corridor Transmission Lines Upgrade.
The Ghana-Germany Compact is an energy sector transformation arrangement stemming from Germany’s Compact with Africa programme, where the European nation has put in place a €1 billion fund to boost the private sector in compact countries, of which Ghana is one.
As a result, Siemens, a German power giant, and GRIDCo signed an agreement to improve Ghana’s electricity grid capacity and stability, and to ensure that the country is able to produce energy for local consumption and at the same time, for export into neighbouring countries in West Africa, such as Burkina Faso, Togo and Benin.
Providing more details, Ing. Essienyi said “the compact includes the installation of a 50MVAr SVC Plus device at the 161kV Kumasi (Ahodwo) Substation, construction of a 330/161 kV Substation at Dunkwa II and the construction of a 3rd Bulk Supply Point in Kumasi (K3BSP).”
This, he explained, will help improve power quality in selected parts of the country by providing dynamic voltage support and reduce overall transmission losses.
In addition to this line of projects is the Western Corridor Transmission Lines Upgrade.
According to the GRIDCo boss, the project is a critical asset needed to improve power supply in Aboadze, Prestea and its environs.
“This project seeks to upgrade the existing 161kV transmission lines from Aboadze through Takoradi, Tarkwa, Prestea, Bogosu, Dunkwa to Obuasi. GRIDCo has identified the need to upgrade the obsolete 161kV 170MVA transmission lines and replace them with higher capacity 2x488MVA Tern Conductors and expand the existing Substations to accommodate the new circuits,” he said.
He said the Western Corridor Transmission Lines when completed will contribute to reducing the frequency and duration of power outages suffered by communities and businesses notably in Aboadze and its surrounding communities.
It will also strengthen the south western part of the grid improving power transferability from the south eastern part to the middle and northern parts of the grid.
