Ghana’s southern electricity distribution company, ECG, says it will cost them GH¢1 million to be able to fully restore power supply to the Appiatse township, following the explosion that destroyed all their electrical installations.
Appiatse became the topic for discussion in the Ghanaian and some International media last Thursday after mining explosives which were being transported to a mining site exploded on the way when a motorcycle allegedly hit the vehicle transporting the explosives.
The explosion resulted in the death of 13 people with over 50 people being injured while electrical installations were destroyed.
Speaking to journalists after visiting the area, the Managing Director of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Mr Kwame Agyeman-Budu said: “We are here this morning to solidarize with the community with our support, and we have promised them that as soon as everything is settled, we will connect them back with electricity. We are supposed to continue our work but due to security reasons, NADMO and the security have asked us to stop to ensure that everything is completely safe here. When that is done, we will work 24/7 to ensure a stable power supply.”
Touching on the steps the company took when they heard about the explosion, he said: “When we heard of the incident, we quickly mobilized people to ensure that safety prevails. This they did by isolating the network to make sure that the place is safe. After that, we reconnected those places which were affected such as Asankragwa, Enchi and Akropong to make sure they have light. With a team from the region, we were able to restore power within 48 hours.”
Mr Agyeman-Budu noted that besides the transformer that was destroyed, other ECG properties including the low and high voltage poles, conductors among others were affected but said they are currently concerned about the safety of the people.
He announced that ECG would be contributing GH¢100,000 to the community to support those displaced and who have sustained injuries.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com