Tema, environs in darkness... as ECG fails to deliver electricty

WHAT STARTED like the rationing of electricity power within the Tema Municipality and its environs including Nungua, Baatsonaa, Kpone, and Okpoi Gonno some months ago has degenerated into very serious frequent power outages.

The severity of the situation is such that on about two or more occasions since last week Thursday, the entire Tema Township has witnessed total blackout for more than the usual 12-hour period as it used to be months ago.

The situation has been so disturbing that residents living in the above mentioned areas are left with no other option than to be inundating our offices with series of complaints.

Some of the complaints the paper has been receiving included how the unannounced power outages were causing severe damages to their home and electronic appliances.

Others also complain imperfectly about how the situation was affecting their businesses rendering them redundant in the process.

But the Tema Regional Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana, Dr. N. K. Smart Yeboah has rendered an unreserved and unqualified apology to residents in the affected areas for the unfortunate incident.

According to him, the power outages were going on as a result of the out-of-date equipments the company was using at some of it supply points in the Municipality and which needed to be replaced.

He said; “The interruptions are the result of faults emanating from obsolete distribution equipment at our Tema Bulk Supply Point. Replacement of old distribution equipment in Tema commenced at the beginning of January, 2007 at our station “E” location, near the Ghana Textiles Manufacturing Company Limited (GTMC)”.

The Electricity Boss was highly optimistic that at the end of the exercise, which is expected to last till the end of August, this year, all the outmoded equipment would have been replaced and the problem eliminated.

In a press statement released in Tema on Tuesday and signed by Dr. Smart-Yeboah, had this to say, “It is expected that the obsolete equipment at the bulk supply point will be replaced by the end of August, 2007”.

He also appealed to customers within the above-mentioned areas to bear with company in these trying times and assured them that the company has “the capacity and capability to deal with any forced interruptions that may arise during this period of the distribution equipment replacement exercise”.