Parts of the Greater Accra Region will experience power cuts from Monday (28 June), the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has announced.
The planned blackouts, ECG says, are to enable the completion of construction work by the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) on certain bulk supply points and transmission cables in Accra.
A statement signed by the power distributor listed some of the areas affected as the Airport Residential Area, Adjiringanor, Teshie Bush Road, Accra Mall, Trasacco Estate and East Legon.
Each area is expected to experience one six-hour power cut between 6pm and 12 midnight each week.
“Apologies for missing ‘dumsor’ timetable”
Meanwhile ECG has rendered an unqualified apology to consumers in the Ashanti Region for recent persistent power cuts.
ECG said the problem is attributable largely to a shortfall in power supply from the Bui Dam and that over the past weeks the situation has improved considerably, however, despite the public uproar.
Speaking to Nana Yaa Mensah on The Asaase Breakfast Show on Wednesday 16 June in Kumasi, ECG’s regional public relations officer, Erasmus Baidoo, said the company is regrettably unable to furnish consumers with a clear timetable of cuts.
“Sometimes we have most areas going off and another time we have quite a number going off, and that has been the situation. But as I said, over the past few weeks, we have seen some level of improvement.”
Baidoo added: “And we are hoping that it will keep improving until we are over it. So we apologise sincerely for the inability to come out with a timetable.”
He also assured clients in Ashanti that most of the projects being realised to improve power supply in the region are near completion stage.
Background
Residents in the Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi, have expressed anger at ECG in the past few months, following frequent power outages.
According to residents, their power goes off most evenings without any notice.
One resident who believes the development presages a return to power rationing was unhappy about the frequency of power cuts.
“I can’t say it’s dumsor, as they say, but the rate at which the power outages is going on is alarming,” said the resident, speaking recently.
“So, in fact, if there is any problem, the electricity company should let us know. And if even there could be a schedule [to warn] that there will be power outage at this time, so that people will prepare,” she said.
“But the rate at which the power is going off unexpectedly and coming back, it is destroying people’s items and all that. And if we are not careful it is going to create a lot of problems for people.”
“Paying double”
Another Kumasi resident said: “I don’t think dumsor is back again. I believe they said they had a problem at Tema East, so the other day the whole of Ghana went off and there were no lights anywhere.
“So, I think ECG should be up and doing, because during the COVID we were able to use the light for free [but] now the government has said those things we used, they will add it to the tariff. So we are paying double.
“I believe they should give us some quality light so that people can use it to work and earn money and pay their light bill,” he said.
Fred Dzakpata
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