The Ghana Grid Company LTD has attributed the recent power outage affecting Accra Central and surrounding areas to a fire that broke out at the Nkrumah Circle Rail line at the ECOMOG area near Circle-Odawna on Wednesday, June 5, 2024.
Dzifa Bampoh, Manager, Corporate Communications Section of the Ghana Grid Company LTD in a statement stated that the fire caused extensive damage to the 161kV Achimota to Accra Central Transmission line, necessitating immediate safety measures by the Ghana Grid Company LTD.
“The affected line has been isolated for safety reasons to prevent the risk of electrocution. The intensity of the fire caused parts of the transmission line to burn and snap. Due to the outage on the Achimota – Accra Central Transmission Line, residents in Accra Central and its environs are without power supply.
Dzifa Bampoh, Manager, Corporate Communications Section GRIDCo
Furthermore, GRIDCo’s Manager of the Corporate Communications Section, Dzifa Bampoh, confirmed that extensive efforts are underway to restore power to the affected areas by the close of the day, June 6, 2024, while other rehabilitation works for the line continue.
Dzifa Bampoh, while apologizing to the affected areas for the inconveniences caused by the power outage assured the public that the country’s power transmission company is working tirelessly to resolve the issue.
She recounted that the company has deployed multiple teams to assess the damage, repair the transmission line, and ensure that normal power supply is reinstated as swiftly as possible.
Settlers Cautioned Against Reconstruction
Meanwhile, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Titus Glover, has issued a stern warning to settlers at ECOMOG, near Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra, against rebuilding structures demolished by a recent fire.
The Greater Accra Regional Minister during a visit on Thursday after the fire outbreak cautioned that anyone attempting to rebuild new structures within the area would face arrest.
While expressing sympathy for the settlers, Mr Glover emphasized that no one should reside in the area any longer, citing the need to protect lives and property, underscoring his outfit plan to take decisive action to prevent future occurrences, stressing the risk to lives if the fire had affected power lines.
“…We don’t want to have any third fire, therefore they should prepare and leave. We will make sure we put men on the ground to make sure nobody lives here. And anybody who tries to build, we will arrest the person”.
Greater Accra Regional Minister, Titus Glover
This warning follows a fire on Wednesday, June 5, 2024 that destroyed wooden structures near the railway line, causing a power outage in Adabraka, New Town, and surrounding areas.
The recent fire outbreak at the Nkrumah Circle Rail line at the ECOMOG area marks the second fire in two years, with a previous fire in February 2022 prompting an unsuccessful evacuation order.
The fire outbreak and subsequent power outage have caused significant disruption in one of Accra’s most densely populated and economically vital areas.
Businesses have had to resort to backup generators where available, while many residents are left without power during the restoration process.
The cause of the fire at the Nkrumah Circle Rail line is yet to be determined with preliminary investigations currently ongoing, with authorities looking into various potential factors that could have triggered the fire outbreak.
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