The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Dr John Jinapor, has issued a strict one-month ultimatum to individuals, commercial operators, and other entities illegally encroaching or carrying out activities within GRIDCo’s transmission line right-of-ways nationwide to clear out immediately or face forced eviction.
The firm directive comes on the back of a catastrophic incident at Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region, where a tanker erupted into flames and severely wrecked a vital transmission tower during welding operations directly under high-voltage cables.
GRIDCo disclosed the incident on July 10, following an explosion that occurred while welding tasks were underway on the tanker. The shear momentum of the blast reportedly launched a portion of the tanker’s rear bodywork over 300 metres into the air, crashing into one of GRIDCo’s key transmission structures.
The impacted installation is a double-circuit tower that anchors two high-capacity power lines running from GRIDCo’s Volta Substation in Ashaiman through to the Achimota Substation in Accra.
These specific conduits feed electrical power to a substantial section of the nation’s capital, prompting grave anxieties that any additional structural deterioration could trigger massive blackout across the metropolis.
Paying a visit to the scene to inspect the ongoing restoration and replacement efforts, the Energy and Green Transition Minister expressed deep concern over the recurring human activities along these sensitive lines.
Dr Jinapor said government had on several occasions appealed to individuals and businesses to vacate GRIDCo’s transmission corridors, warning that activities within the right-of-ways posed serious risks to both critical national infrastructure and human lives.
He issued a stark warning that once the grace period lapses, state authorities will mobilize a joint task force comprising the Police, Military, National Security, and Local Assemblies to clear out any recalcitrant occupants.
He warned that after the deadline, government would deploy the Police, Military, National Security, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, as well as other relevant institutions, to remove remaining occupants.
On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of GRIDCo, Frank Okyere, noted that the blast severely compromised the physical stability of the pylon, raising real fears of an imminent collapse if swift intervention was not taken.
He stressed on the need for business to vacate the area to protect their own lives and save the country’s millions of cedis
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana