Regulatory Commission (PURC), has ordered the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), to stop immediately, any planned major replacement and maintenance exercise of its transmission network.
Such an exercise, which is expected to bring further interruptions in addition to the current load shedding, is scheduled for completion by July next year.
A statement issued in Accra yesterday, and signed by Nana Yaa Akyempim Jantuah, the Director of Public Relations and External Affairs of the PURC, said the planned replacement and maintenance exercise by GRIDCo which was advertised in the Daily Graphic of July 28, was done without the knowledge of the regulator.
“In this regard, the PURC by an order, has directed GRIDCo to defer forthwith the intended major replacement exercise as published”, it said.
The statement directed GRIDCo to furnish the commission with the schedule of works and planned completion dates for maintenance of the Transmission Network Infrastructure.
GRIDCo is also expected to furnish the commission with details of all contingency measures it had deployed to mitigate any impact the interruption of the transmission network may have on consumers.
The statement further said GRIDCo, as demanded by law, should provide prior information to the commission before any future public announcements for planned maintenance works which might result in interruptions to worsen the current load shedding situation.
“GRIDCo shall provide a clear communication strategy it intends to deploy to inform all stakeholders and the general public about intended interruptions associated with the planned maintenance works”, it said.
The statement said failure by GRIDCo to comply with the order in a matter of one week, would result in the PURC applying full sanctions under the existing laws.
It said while PURC acknowledged the importance of the execution of the planned maintenance works, it was also mindful of the current challenges being faced in the supply of electricity, nationwide, and its impact on consumers of electricity and even water.
“The commission envisages that if no reasonableness is attached to the execution of the replacement and maintenance exercise, it is likely to compound the current electricity challenges, which will result in a national emergency”, it said.
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