GHANA financed by Societe Generale and GRIDCo among other projects . 30
Likewise , in 2018 , GRIDCo reported eight completed major engineering projects and six more ongoing ones . The year saw the completion of the 225kV Bolgatanga – Ouagadougou Interconnection Project with a project cost of US $ 12,806,475.91 and C923,710.18 ( for the 330 / 22kV Substation ) and US $ 829,280.70 , € 398,395.92 and C1,510,221 ( for the 330 / 225kV transmission line ) jointly financed by the World Bank ( 330 / 22kV substation ) and the French Development Agency ( 225kV transmission line ); the 34.5kV and 11.5kV Switchgear Upgrade Project with a project cost of € 11,446,845 , jointly financed by the African Development Bank and GRIDCo ; and the 225Kv Bolgatanga – Ouagadougou and 330kv Kumasi – Bolgatanga transmission line projects , with a project cost of £ 2,505,763 and US $ 1,221,434 financed by a grant from the European Union , among other projects . 31
Given the age of Ghana ’ s transmission lines and the shortfalls in such transmission lines reaching certain rural areas , a concerted effort to invest in such infrastructure using innovative means and the suggested reforms would significantly close the infrastructure gap .
• Proposed reforms – At risk of oversimplification , the solution to the electricity transmission issues faced by Ghana lie in large-scale and comprehensive upgrading and expanding the transmission infrastructure in the country . As mentioned in the Energy Outlook document by the Energy Commission , investments in infrastructure are necessary to curb the rising trend in transmission losses .
The Investigative Report on Erratic Power Supply in the state conducted by the PURC concluded that delays in the execution of capital projects were partly responsible for the irregular power supply and recommended that the relevant stakeholders work towards the timely completion of these projects , especially through requisite capital injection and adequate monitoring and supervision mechanisms . 32 In addition , the increasing proportion of intermittent energy sources , such as solar PV , requires a more robust , modern and adaptable transmission grid to help ensure a steady supply of power .
On the part of the government , the recent passing of the Public-Private Partnership Act , 2020 ( Act 1039 ) is a step in the right direction as the establishment of a definite framework within which these partnership agreements can be created and managed , and should increase the confidence and willingness of private-sector investors to enter into these arrangements , allowing for the capital and expertise required to secure the development of infrastructure in the electricity transmission sector . In addition , the implementation of the cash waterfall mechanism by the government in 2020 to ensure a more transparent distribution and management of the revenue received by the Electricity Company of Ghana should go some way to address the liquidity issues being faced in the transmission sector , especially as a certain fixed percentage of the revenue is allocated to GRIDCo .
In light of the above , the Government of Ghana in 2021 is accelerating reforms premised on a GRIDCo development plan with an emphasis on transmission . This is taking a more concrete shape
© Golasza | Dreamstime . com . Akosombo Hydroelectric Power Station on the Volta River in Ghana
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