VRA/NEDCO addresse low power voltage in Dormaa Municipality

Dormaa - Ahenkro, Feb. 24 ,GNA - The Ghana Grid Company (Gridco),   is constructing a 161-kilovolt substation at Berekum, to address low power voltage situation in some parts of the Dormaa Central Municipality.

Mr. Simon Mensah, the Station Supervisor, Volta River Authority (VRA)/Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCO) for the Dormaa Municipality said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Monday at Dormaa-Ahenkro in the Brong-Ahafo Region.

Mr. Mensah explained that some parts of the Municipality were experiencing low voltage,   because there was a drop in transmission voltage from Sunyani to Berekum from 34.5 Kilovolts to 30/29 Kilovolts and a further drop in voltage from Berekum to Dormaa-Ahenkro between 29 to 28 Kilovolts respectively.

He stated that as a short-term measure to address this challenge, 34. 5 kilovolts power was sourced from Mim substation through Gambia Number One to Dormaa-Ahenkro to scale up power supply to the Municipality.

The Station Supervisor said there was another feeder from a substation in Mim with 161 Kilovolts which was under construction,, adding 'most of the materials for this had been procured, all in a desperate effort to boost additional power supply'.

He mentioned meter tempering, illegal meter transfer, conductor theft, overloaded transformers for upgrading and injection, fixing of street lights without consultation or advice, and the illegal construction of low voltage lines by individuals, as some of the major challenges confronting the company.

Mr. Mensah said this year activities his outfit had planned to undertake included substation inspection, high voltage line patrol/inspection, high voltage accessories maintenance, weeding around wooden poles, sub-station weeding, sub-station maintenance, low voltage line patrol/inspection, low voltage tree trimming, load monitoring, pre-paid meter installation for third phase.

Other commercial activities would be the dis-connection of defaulting customers, disconnection follow-up, reconnection, zero consumption check and attendance to fault and complains.

When contacted,   Mr. Alhassan Ababa, the VRA Public Relations Officer for Brong-Ahafo attributed the problem of low voltage in parts of the Dormaa Municipality to the   length of the high voltage   line running from Berekum to Dormaa-Ahenkro.

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