GRIDCo rehabilitates Achimota Substation (7/5/09)

THE Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) has begun major rehabilitation works at the Achimota Substation as part of efforts to improve power supply in Accra.
The exercise, which is expected to take eight weeks, involves the upgrading of a 33 Mega Volt Ampere (MVA) transformer that supplies seven per cent of power to Accra to 66 MVA.
In view of the exercise, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) on Monday, May 4, 2009, began a power rationing programme to pave the way for the upgrading works.
Under the rationing exercise, one part of Accra would experience power outage from 9a.m. to 6p.m. while the other part would go off from 6p.m. to 11p.m. to enable GRIDCo to install a new transformer at the substation.
The Head of Public Relations of GRIDCo, Mr Albert Kwesi Quainoo, in a facility tour with media personnel at the substation, said once the 33 MVA was upgraded the ECG would be able to meet the increasing demand for power and reduce power outages.
He said the 33 MVA transformer, which was manufactured in 1962 and mounted in 1965, was the smallest at the station and had worked effectively over the years until now that the load had become very heavy, thereby resulting in power outages.
He announced that a new substation would be built at Adjringanor in Accra where four transformers would be mounted to supply power due to the increasing load, adding that two more 66 MVA transformers would be added to the present transformers at the Mallam Substation.
Mr Quainoo appealed to Ghanaians to use power efficiently in order to save electricity to minimise the power outages in the country.
He advised the general public to stop using second-hand electrical appliances, since they consumed more electricity than they were supposed to, in order to conserve power.