The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has denied accusations that it has been “stubborn” in obeying load-shedding instructions from the national grid manager, GRIDCo.
According to ECG, GRIDCo’s requests for load management have become so erratic and routine that they have become an “irritation and disturbance to customers.”
In a letter addressed to the Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, and signed by ECG’s Chief Executive, Ing. Ebenezer Kofi Essienyi, the power distributor accused GRIDCo of making not only day-to-day demands to manage load but also making 11th-hour demands, leaving little or no room for planning and informing customers.
ECG cited several instances where GRIDCo disconnected feeders and Bulk Supply Points (BSPs) without prior notice, even before making load management requests to ECG.
The company provided detailed examples from March 20 and April 4, 2024, where GRIDCo’s actions disrupted ECG’s ability to comply with load management instructions.
“The above examples highlight the erratic nature of the requests for load management by GRIDCo and the rampant mode of disconnection of feeders and BSPs without notice to ECG,” the letter stated.
While ECG said it will always cooperate with “all relevant stakeholders including GRIDCo in order not to jeopardize the stability of the Transmission system,” the company demanded that notices for load management should be received 24 hours ahead of peak load and off-peak load management.
The letter was copied to several key stakeholders, including the Chief of Staff, Office of the President; the National Security Coordinator; The Executive Secretary, Energy Commission; The Executive Secretary, PURC; and the Managing Director, ECG.