Energy Minister gives encroachers under power pylons one month to vacate

The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Dr John Abdulai Jinapor, has given individuals and businesses operating within power transmission corridors at Ashaiman Middle East one month to vacate the areas or face enforcement action.

Dr Jinapor issued the directive when he inspected a damaged transmission pylon following an incident on July 10, 2026, which was reportedly caused by welding activities carried out within the transmission corridor.

He warned that human activities within the right-of-way of high-voltage transmission lines posed serious risks to lives, property and the stability of Ghana’s electricity supply system.

According to the Minister, the law prohibits the construction of structures or the undertaking of activities beneath transmission pylons because the areas are designated safety zones to protect critical electricity infrastructure and the public.

He expressed concern over increasing encroachment on transmission corridors, noting that some portions had been converted into commercial spaces, welding shops and car parks.

Dr Jinapor said the damaged pylon was reportedly hit following an explosion during welding work on a tanker. He warned that failure to replace the structure could lead to the collapse of the transmission line and potentially affect adjoining pylons.

He said the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) had begun an emergency replacement of the damaged structure, with components being prefabricated and some preparatory installation works already completed to shorten the duration of the exercise.

The Minister said GRIDCo was conducting simulations to minimise power disruptions and had reduced the planned replacement period from two days to one.

Two cranes, additional personnel and extended working hours would be deployed to complete the work, although some communities could experience temporary power interruptions during the exercise.

Dr Jinapor said affected communities would be notified ahead of the work and stressed that the emergency repair was only a temporary measure.

Enforcement action
The Minister announced that a coordinated enforcement exercise involving the Police, Military, National Security, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, and other relevant stakeholders would be carried out to clear the transmission corridors.

He warned that persons who failed to comply with the directive could be forcibly removed in accordance with the law, while items left beneath the pylons could be confiscated and auctioned.

Dr Jinapor specifically urged companies using the areas as car parks and other commercial spaces to vacate, stressing that such activities endangered both workers and critical electricity infrastructure.

He emphasised that transmission rights-of-way were not vacant lands but designated safety zones created to protect high-voltage infrastructure and the public.

Tanker explosion damaged critical tower

The Chief Executive Officer of GRIDCo, Mr Frank Otchere, said the July 10 incident occurred at about 3:00 p.m. when a tanker reportedly exploded during welding activities.

He said a section of the tanker was propelled more than 300 metres and struck a GRIDCo transmission tower.

According to Mr Otchere, the damaged structure was a double-circuit tower carrying two critical transmission lines from the Volta Substation in Tema to the Achimota Substation in Accra. The lines supply a significant portion of Accra’s electricity demand.

He said the impact compromised the structural integrity of the tower and created the possibility of its collapse, which could have affected neighbouring towers and caused extensive damage to the transmission network.

Mr Otchere said GRIDCo had reported the incident to the Police, with the Middle East Police handling the matter.

He disclosed that the company had retrieved an identical spare tower from its stores and commenced assembly for immediate installation.

GRIDCo plans to dismantle the damaged structure and replace it with the spare tower. Mr Otchere said some load reduction might be required during the exercise to prevent the remaining transmission lines from becoming overloaded.

He said the company was targeting completion of the replacement within 12 hours to minimise disruptions to electricity supply.