By Edith Atiaka Eshun
The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, has given persons and companies operating under high-voltage transmission pylons across the country a one-month ultimatum to vacate such areas.
He warned that persons who fail to comply will be forcefully evicted, while items left under the pylons will be confiscated and auctioned in accordance with the law. The Minister gave the ultimatum when he inspected a damaged transmission tower belonging to the Ghana Grid Company, GRIDCo, in the Tema-Accra transmission corridor.
The GRIDCo tower was damaged following an explosion involving a tanker that was reportedly being welded within the transmission line’s right-of-way.
Mr. Jinapor said the incident has compromised the structural integrity of the tower and could have resulted in the collapse of the affected structure and other adjoining pylons, putting lives and property at risk.
He said, “the government could no longer rely solely on appeals and persuasion to stop illegal activities under transmission lines.”
The Minister stated that the government will collaborate with the Police, Military, National Security, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, as well as other stakeholders, to clear illegal structures and activities from transmission lines’ right-of-way, as President Mahama has been briefed on the development.
He cautioned companies that use areas beneath transmission lines as car parks, saying such activities are illegal and dangerous.
Mr. Jinapor stressed that the clearance exercise will cover not only the area inspected but all pylons, transformer areas and other critical energy infrastructure across the Country.
The Chief Executive Officer of GRIDCo, Engineer Frank Otchere, explained that the damaged tower carries two critical transmission circuits that transport power from the Volta Substation in Tema to the Achimota Substation in Accra.
He said the lines serve a significant portion of the Accra load, making the damage a serious threat to power supply. He said the impact compromised the structural integrity of the tower, creating the possibility of its collapse and damage to other towers along the transmission line.
Engineer Otchere further explained that the replacement works, initially expected to take two days, had been compressed into about 12 hours to minimize disruption to electricity supply. However, he said some parts of Accra could experience temporary power interruptions or reduced load during the exercise because the affected lines would have to be taken out of service.
Engineer Otchere indicated that GRIDCo is conducting simulations and other preparations to minimize the impact, with details of affected areas to be communicated to the public.
He also appealed to residents and businesses to stay away from transmission lines’ right-of-way, stressing that the high-voltage lines pose serious danger to human life.
He said the incident should serve as a warning to the public that activities such as welding, construction and other forms of encroachment under transmission pylons can have fatal consequences.
