An apparently frustrated power distributor, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), has held nothing back as it repudiates accusations that it has been intransigent in obeying load-shedding instructions by GRIDCo.

ECG is putting the blame for the erratic power supply to homes and industries on grid manager, GRIDCo, which it accuses of making not only day-to-day demands to manage load, but also makes 11th-hour demands and thus leave little or no room for planning and to inform customers.

According to the ECG, so erratic are the requests from GRIDCo for load management that the requests “are no longer for emergency operations, but are made on a routine day-to-day basis, becoming an irritation and disturbance to customers.”

The scathing remarks, contained in a letter responding to GRIDCo’s earlier accusations against ECG about a week ago, of endangering the country’s power generation, is addressed to the Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh. The letter is signed by ECG’s Chief Executive, Ing. Ebenezer Kofi Essienyi.

The ECG, which said it will always cooperate with “all relevant stakeholders including GRIDCo in order not to jeopardize the stability of the Transmission system,” however, demanded that notices for load management should be received 24 hours ahead of peak load and off-peak load management.

The ECG cited many cases as examples of the erratic nature of requests for load management by GRIDCo and rampant disconnection of feeders and Bulk Supply Points without notice to ECG.

“On the specific examples of March 20 and 21, 2024 cited by GRIDCo in their letter, ECG wishes to state as follows:

a) On March 20. 2024 (off-peak hours, 06:00 – 18:00 hrs), ECG received a request to drop 280MW at 8:40am. However, prior to the request, GRIDCo had disconnected the following feeders at the times indicated below:

Incomer 4 at Pokuase from 04:55 to 07:57 hrs,

Incomer I at Tafo from 04:23 to 06:15 hrs.

Incomers 2&3 at Kasoa from 05:18 to 06:18 hrs,

Incomer 1 at Winneba from 04:40 to 06:18 hrs,

Bogoso BSP from 04:45 to 06:20 hrs,

Kumasi Ridge BSP from 04:23 to 06:18 hrs

b) On March 20. 2024 (peak hours. 18:00 – 24:00 hrs), ECG received a request to drop 500MW at 15:34 hours and prepared for this. However, due to network challenges, we were unable to drop all the quantum requested by GRIDCo and at 19:10 hrs, GRIDCo started disconnecting the following feeders at the times indicated below:

Incomer 1 at Smelter 2 from 19:10 to 23:25 hrs,

Kasoa BSP from 20:21 to 22:10 hrs,

Incomer 1 at Winneba from 20:25 to 23:05 hrs,

Incomer 1 &4 Kumasi Ridge BSP from 21:11 to 21:37 hrs.”

“Beyond these two specific examples above, ECG wishes to also state that on April 4, 2024 during peak hours (18:00 hrs – 24:00hrs), GRIDCo after having confirmed earlier that there will be no load management during peak hours, later requested ECG to drop 100MW at 19:28 hrs and proceeded thereafter to unilaterally disconnect the following BSPs: Mobole, Cape Coast, Ketan, Mallam, Winneba and Trassaco, before ECG could take any action.

“The above examples highlight the erratic nature of the requests for load management by GRIDCo and the rampant mode of disconnection of feeders and BSPs without notice to ECG,” it said in the letter copied to the Chief of Staff, Office of the President; the National Security Coordinator; The Executive Secretary, Energy Commission; The Executive Secretary, PURC; and the Managing Director, ECG.