Energy Minister moves to minimize intermittent power outages in Northern Region

The Minister of Energy, John Peter Amewu has said his ministry was determined to put an end to the erratic power supply in the Northern region of Ghana.

Addressing chiefs and people of the Gonja Traditional Area at the Jakpa Palace in a visit that was covered by Ghanawebs' Northern Regional Correspondent, Ananpansah B Abraham, Monday, he disclosed that his outfit has received concerns about the intermittent power supply in the region and was ready to minimize the situation together with NEDCO.

"Yagbonwura,we have received complaints about the intermittent power supply in the region and that is why we are here with NEDCO. We would be having a meeting with them and we will ensure the situation is minimized,"he said.

Mr. Amewu further stated that,one of the universal vision of His Excellency Nana Akuffo-Addo was to have every village in Ghana connected to the National Grid and that,the government was determined to discover oil along the Volta lake and other parts of the region.

The minister was in the region and specifically,the West Gonja District to commission a Solar Project for the Langantri CHPS Compound and took turns to pay a courtesy call on the King and President of the Gonja Traditional Area,Yagbonwura Tutumba Bore Esa 1 at the Jakpa Palace.

He was accompanied by his deputy,hon.Mohammed Amin Anta, the Chief Director at the Ministry of Energy Mr.Lawrence Apaalse,NEDCO Chief Executive Mr.Frank Akilgo, the Northern regional minister hon.Salifu Saeed, the DCE of West Gonja District hon.Saeed Muhazu Jibreal among others.

The Northern regional minister speaking at the occasion said health, education and energy were key, adding that,they were at the palace to receive the blessings of Ndewura Jakpa.

The soon to be created Savannah region according to him will develop faster than the whole world, since it would be the centre of attention and priority.

The Yagbonwura on his part requested for a special prayer to be said for the minister and his entourage by the Chief Imam.

It can be recalled that the Northern Youth for Peace and Development,a pressure group in the Northern region threatened to hit the streets if the erratic power supply in Tamale and its environs was not resolved immediately.

Speaking to Blessed Eduamoah Dadzie on "Wake up Tamale, February 21,2018, the leader of the group Believer Likpalimor said the youth risk losing their jobs if the trend is not reversed because,employees measure productivity against cost of production and given the current power situation in the region, one can forsee possible job loses.

They called on PURC to do proper scrutiny and if possible throw out NEDCO's request for a 200% increase in electricity tariffs because they lack the will and commitment to put in place stringent measures to ensure value for money and avert grievous situation.

They implored NEDCO to divert the 10% of their 2018 budget allocation they have planned for the foundation of their Tamale headquarters to purchase quality transmission and distribution equipment that can stand the test of time.

The Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDco) however attributed the challenges to load on the cables and load on the 2 Main Transformers serving the area.

In a statement, the Corporate Communications Department of NEDco on February 12, 2018 said: “The Management of NEDCo wishes to inform the General Public that the recent sad interruptions of power in the Tamale Metropolis have been due to 2 main challenges – load on the cables and load on the 2 Main Transformers. Thankfully, NEDCo has been able to secure bigger capacity cables and has successfully used them to replace the older ones. With that sorted out, there is the need to sort out the issue of the transformers. While we continue to count on the patience and understanding of all in these trying times, we wish to assure all that we would continue to do our best to minimize these outages.”