The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDco) has revealed its plans to change its transmission lines from Tema, Ghana’s largest energy hub, to Accra, the biggest power consuming enclave. GRIDco Chief Executive Officer (CEO), William Amuna, revealed the plans during the third Biennial Congress of GRIDco Senior Staff Association (SSA) in Ho.
Upgrading the transmission lines will enable the lines carry bigger volumes of power from the hub, given that new producers will join the sector while older companies will increase the output. However, power generation is expected to rise from 678MW of power to 2,800MW of power come 2017.
According to Amuna, when the transmission lines work begins, squatters will be relocated, besides, the company will as well in due course establish a ‘Centre of Excellence” in Kumasi, in collaboration with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and Korea to train technical staff at all levels.
Additionally, centres will be opened to other organisations within and outside Ghana, also efforts will be put towards staff welfare with stress on regular health checks and safety, fluid and transparent management worker communication, congenial work environment, improving output-skills update, improved incomes among others.
Nonetheless, GRIDco’s visions is to become a model and promising electricity grid company guided by their Values of Integrity, Safety, Excellence, Responsiveness and Caring company. “Nobody in management will do anything to put workers welfare at bay,” stated Amuna. “While management will keep an open door policy, it expects the dialogue method and not the outdated worker- militancy approach,” he added.
Due to electricity insufficiency in the country, the company has experienced massive power challenges, however, the situation has so far improved at the moment, though not completely out of the woods yet but at least there has been an increment in power generation. The persistent challenge that the company still faces is the supply of fuel security and the fast receding levels of GRIDco’s lake reservoirs, which feed the company’s hydroelectric dams due to poor hydrology.
The electricity company also faces the cash flow and revenue dip challenge as a result of lack of power to transmit although it remains afloat.
