By Daniel Donkor
Residents of the Sunyani Municipality are preparing for up to eight hours of daily power outages after an explosion damaged a major electricity transformer at the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) substation, sharply reducing power supply to the area.
The incident, which occurred around 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, triggered widespread blackouts across several communities in the municipality. According to NEDCo, a critical fault developed at a 33kVA transformer at the Sunyani substation, one of the principal installations feeding power to the area—forcing the company to introduce rotational load shedding.
Addressing the media in Sunyani, the Area Manager of NEDCo, Ing. Eugene Odoi Addo, explained that the explosion was first detected after a loud sound and thick smoke were observed emanating from the GRIDCo switchyard.
“Our engineers immediately moved in to inspect the system and discovered that one of the major transformers had suffered significant damage,” Ing. Odoi Addo said. “As a result, our capacity to supply power to Sunyani has been reduced to about 42 percent of the available load.”
He noted that NEDCo engineers are currently conducting detailed troubleshooting to determine the exact cause of the explosion and assess the full extent of the damage.
Until the fault is completely resolved, he said, residents should expect rotational power outages of up to eight hours across the municipality.
“We appeal to our customers to use electricity judiciously during this period,” Ing. Odoi Addo added. “Be assured that we are working tirelessly to restore stable power supply in the shortest possible time.”
Meanwhile, the Acting Manager of GRIDCo’s Techiman Area, Ing. Etse Mawuli, confirmed that GRIDCo engineers are collaborating closely with NEDCo to diagnose the fault and expedite repair works.
“Once the fault is fully identified, the necessary repairs will be undertaken promptly to stabilize supply,” he assured.
NEDCo has pledged to keep the public regularly updated as investigations continue and repair works progress, while residents and businesses in Sunyani adjust to the temporary power rationing amid hopes for a swift resolution.
