Accra, Dec. 11, GNA – Residents of New Bortianor in Accra are excited over the installation of a mobile transformer by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to resolve their nearly one-year erratic power supply challenge.
The area, around the West Hills Mall enclave, has in the last eight months experienced unreliable supply of electricity, resulting in outages and poor voltage trips.
This has blighted households and industries in the sprawling Bortianor community and its environs.
Reverend Dr Wiredu Antwi, Chairman, Landlord and Residents Association, West Hills, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the installation of the mobile transformer had come at an opportune time because they had endured constant outages in a long while.
According to him, in a week, the area experienced not less than four power outages which often extended more than 24 hours.
He said the residents’ association reached out to the Accra West Regional Manager and expressed their frustrations which resulted in a meeting convened at the behest of the company for the resolution of the problem.
Dr Antwi said they were given assurances from engineers, indicating that the cause of the intermittent outages had been identified and a remedy found.
“Indeed, they have been able to deliver on their promise by providing a mobile transformer until a permanent solution is found, and we are excited about that, ” he said, and lauded the Company for the swift response in their plight.
Mr Emmanuel Ankrah, Regional Engineer, Accra West Region, ECG, briefing the GNA on the project, said the area had witnessed massive growth in terms of load and infrastructure and as a result, the company’s power allocation was unable to meet their increasing energy demands.
“So, what we have done is to establish a new station – primary substation with a mobile transformer which can boost the supply in this enclave temporarily,” he said.
The mobile transformer being installed is about 20 Mega Volt Ampere (MVA) and when commissioned, in a week, will enhance electricity supply in the area and resolve the challenges residents face.
The cost of the project is more than GHC350 million funded by the Electricity Company of Ghana.
He said when the transformer was fully installed, problems like the frequent power cuts, poor voltages, unreliable power supply would be a thing of the past as it would give residents some respite.
The Regional Engineer said the mobile transformer would be stationed in the area as the ECG looked for a permanent site for a substation, saying “it has come to stay until a new permanent station is eventually built.”
He said the company had identified areas with similar challenges, and it planned to establish primary substations, adding that the New Bortianor area was one of those areas to have their electricity supply challenges resolved.
He mentioned Ablekuma and Korle-Bu as areas that had benefited from similar projects to boost electricity supply for its customers.
GNA