Following extensive rains that caused significant flooding at vital electricity infrastructure in portions of the Greater Accra Region, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) have momentarily cut off the power supply from the Achimota and Mallam primary substations.
As floodwaters hit important transmission and distribution infrastructure, the two power providers said the preventive action was needed to protect lives, secure equipment, and prevent damage to the electricity network.
“The precautionary shutdown became essential since the flooding has damaged critical power infrastructure at multiple substations, creating serious risks to both electrical equipment and operational personnel,” the utilities said in a joint statement released on Sunday.
They further stated: “In order to protect lives, property, and prevent harm to the electricity network, GRIDCo and ECG have opted to temporarily turn off the power supply from the impacted substations until it is safe to resume.”
Engineers were reportedly monitoring the issue constantly and conducting extensive evaluations of the flood’s effects on the transmission and distribution network, according to GRIDCo and ECG.
Power supply might also be briefly cut off in other regions affected by the floods if there are safety concerns, the companies warned.
“The public is cautioned that power supply may be briefly interrupted in other impacted areas when necessary, as a preventative measure to safeguard lives, property, and vital electricity infrastructure whenever safety concerns are found, as the torrential rains and flooding continue,” the statement said.
The public was advised by the utilities to use caution and to immediately report any flood-damaged electrical installations, exposed or fallen power lines, down electricity poles, and other electricity-related risks to the closest ECG branch or through the company’s customer care channels.
They claimed that quick reporting would aid swift response operations and help ensure public safety.
GRIDCo and ECG apologized for the inconvenience the outages caused and promised customers that every effort would be taken to restore power as soon as weather conditions improved and it was safe to do so.
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