The Public Relations Officer for ECG Ashanti West, Benjamin Obeng Antwi, says the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) is stepping up investment in the Ashanti Region to address rising electricity demand driven by rapid population growth and urban expansion in Kumasi and surrounding communities.
Speaking in an interview with Kofi Boakye on Nkwantannso on Opemsuo Radio, he expressed satisfaction that both government and ECG have taken the region’s growing power challenges seriously.
He explained that electricity consumption in the Ashanti Region is increasing rapidly, placing pressure on existing transmission and distribution infrastructure.
“I’m very happy that it’s not only ECG, but government has taken the Ashanti Region issue seriously,” he said.
Mr. Obeng Antwi disclosed that ECG’s Managing Director recently announced in Accra a nationwide investment plan of GH¢3.46 billion, out of which GH¢1.11 billion is earmarked for the Ashanti Region.
According to him, although the region has not yet reached full overload, current demand patterns show that the system is coming under increasing strain.
“We are getting close to being overloaded, though we have not reached that stage yet,” he noted.
He highlighted the Adankwame–Asuofia–Nketia and communities toward Barekese–Offinso transmission line as one of the key areas requiring urgent upgrading due to rapid residential development.
He explained that the existing transmission line, with a capacity of about 120, was originally designed decades ago mainly to serve the Barekese Water Treatment Plant, without anticipating large-scale human settlement and urban expansion in those areas.
“At the time, nobody envisaged that people would develop and settle in those areas the way it has happened now,” he said.
Mr. Obeng Antwi added that although the upgrade project was initiated about four to five years ago, it stalled but is now being revived to strengthen power delivery in the region.
According to him, the planned upgrade will increase capacity from 120 to 400, significantly improving electricity supply reliability to fast-growing communities.
He further noted that the expansion is also critical for supporting essential infrastructure, including water treatment systems that depend on stable power supply.
He assured residents that the investment will help ECG meet future demand and prevent system overload as the Ashanti Region continues to expand.
Source:
opemsuo.com