The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) says it expects work on the 330,000 volts Anwomaso-Bolgatanga transmission line to be completed by August this year.

The about 551-kilometre transmission line will serve as a by-pass to the north of the country to ease the pressure on the Kumasi main substation.

Mr Jonathan Amoako-Baah, Chief Executive Officer of GRIDCo, told journalists after an inspection tour of the on-going project at Krapa in the Ejisu Municipality that the lines would be the largest towers in the electrical transmission network.

Already, the lines connecting Kintampo-Tamale and Tamale-Bolgatanga have been completed.

He said the works were part of pragmatic efforts to strengthen transmission lines in the country to ensure power stability, accessibility and reliability.

Mr Amoako-Baah explained that about 90 per cent of the generation in Ghana were located at the south end of the country, Aboadze, Tema and Akosombo, and power needed to be transported from these places through Kumasi to the northern part of the country.

“When it happens like that some of the voltage is lost along the way, instead of a voltage of about 160,000 volts that is generated from the source, it goes as low as 140,000 volts,” he said.

He stressed that if steps were not taken a total system collapse could occur and that would not augur well for the nation.

Mr Amoako-Baah said these situations resulted in some consumers being taking off so that the voltage could be sustained.

The CEO said the Bui Dam, which was generating voltage to support what was transported from the south to the north, was unable to do that due to the precariously low levels of the Bui reservoir as a result of erratic rainfall patterns in the area.

To offset the situation, GRIDCo initially installed a transformer at the Anwomaso Sub-station to ease the load on the Nhyiaeso Substation.

The company was also going to install the Static VAR compensator to sustain the voltages in Kumasi in the year.

Again, Mr Amoako-Baah said a request had been made for a generating plant to be installed around Kumasi.

He was of the firm belief that with the measures put in place, the phenomenon of low voltages would cease to exist and there would be a continuous supply of power in Kumasi and its environs

Mr Amoako-Baah appealed to consumers within Kumasi to bear with the Company since it was doing everything possible to address the challenges.