Mr John Abdulai Jinapor, Minister for Energy and Green Transition, has announced that the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) will replace more than 2,000 distribution transformers nationwide as part of efforts to improve power supply reliability.
“ECG intends to change over 2,000 distribution of transformers, that have never happened in the history of this country. It is a massive investment,” he said.
The exercise forms part of a broader government strategy to modernise Ghana’s power distribution network, reduce system overloads, and enhance voltage stability.
Mr Jinapor made these plans known when he paid a visit and toured the Lashibi substations of the ECG as part of ongoing efforts to assess infrastructure upgrades and improve power distribution across the country.
During the tour, he inspected ongoing works and received technical briefings on the status of substation upgrades.
The Energy Minister said the intervention followed a detailed assessment conducted upon assumption of office, which revealed that years of underinvestment, ageing equipment, and overloaded systems had weakened the distribution network.
He noted that some transformers currently in use have been operational for over two decades, significantly affecting efficiency and causing localised outages despite adequate electricity generation.
“On assumption of office, we undertook a comprehensive review of the distribution network, and the results show that years of underinvestment, ageing equipment, and lack of investment have really strained the distribution network.”
He disclosed that while ECG spent more than GHs9 billion in its 2024 budget, about GHs1.8 billion had been allocated for 2025, with a significant portion directed towards critical infrastructure such as transformers, conductors, and metres.
The Energy Minister explained that the focus had shifted from overall spending to prioritising investments that directly impacted service delivery and grid stability and commended ECG for the introduction of a double system in parts of the network, which allowed switching of customers to alternative lines in the event of faults, thereby reducing outages.
He said the exercise, which was currently underway in Accra, was expected to extend to Kumasi in May and later to other regions, noting that the Volta Region was developing a comprehensive programme to boost the system to address the low number of outages that they had been experiencing for years.
Mr Jinapor urged Ghanaians to bear with temporary disruptions during the upgrade, assuring them that the long-term benefits would include improved reliability and reduced power outages.
