GRIDCo restore power after fire destroyed a transformer at its bulk supply station at Dzorwulu
Power has been restored to parts of the Greater Accra, Central and Eastern regions where there were power outages resulting from an outbreak of fire which destroyed a transformer at the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) Bulk Supply Station at Dzorwulu in Accra on Saturday.
Advertisement
However, GRIDCo has indicated that it would be able to replace the damaged transformer with a new one by the end of February, this year.
The fire completely damaged the 66 Mega Volt Ampere (MVA), one of four others which supply power to the affected areas.
The incident happened at about 5 p.m. last Saturday, during a downpour.
According to the Head of Public Relations of GRIDCo, Mr Albert Quainoo, a suspected lightening might have tracked the transformer, causing it to catch fire.
“Indeed our engineers were there within minutes, and the first thing to do was to isolate four other transformers from the one that caught fire,” he said.
He told the Daily Graphic that the company had spare transformers in Tema, and that one of such transformers would be brought in to replace the burnt one.
Mr Quainoo said the company engineers would work feverishly to replace the burnt transformer.
Other Trending Stories
He said the damaged transformer would not affect the supply of power since there was a backup support from other sub-stations.
For instance, he said, Adjiriganno had a 132-MVA transformer of which 31-MVA was being used, and the other load would be transfered to customers.
Again at Mallam in Accra, he said, there was an upgraded sub-station which could also supply to customers.
He added that there was enough capacity in the system to supply to customers.
In the first two weeks of this year, 265 fire outbreaks have been recorded in different parts of the country.
Shortly after the fire incident at Dzorwulu, personnel from the ECG and the GRIDCo had to move in to separate the four other transformers from the transformer that caught fire.
The police were also called in to ensure law and order following the movement of people to the area.
Personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) battled the fire for over an hour before putting it out.
A visit to the sub-station Sunday revealed a badly damaged transformer which was said to have two pairs of lightening arrestors.
Each pair of the two arrestors contains three arrestors. One pair each is for the low and high side of the transformers.
Investigations are ongoing as to how the lightening was able to strike the transformers even though it had arrestors.
Residents said they were greately affected by the outage that followed as a result of the damage to the transformer since they did not expect it.
“I was watching the on-going African Nations Cup in South Africa with some of my customers when my light went off,” a bar operator, Stephen Kotoku said.
Advertisement
With the aid of a small generator, he said he was, however, able to watch the games.
A compact disc seller at Achimota, Kofi Nsiah, said he was running his business at the same time watching a movie when the light went out of a sudden.
“Initially I thought it was the normal light off until I heard that one of the transformers was struck by lightening”, he said.
Mary Kwei who runs a hairdressing salon at Dzorwulu said Saturdays were normal days she had a lot of customers but because of a small generator she had her business was not much affected.
Advertisement
The ECG is currently undertaking an emergency load-shedding exercise as a result of relative instability in electricity supply.
Story by Emmanuel Bonney