The Ministry of Energy and Green Transition has announced the procurement of 500 distribution transformers for deployment in affected communities in the Northern Region to address distribution challenges and improve power supply reliability.
As part of the initiative, a transformer replacement programme and broader system upgrade works are already underway in Tamale and surrounding areas.
The intervention is aimed at improving network stability, addressing low voltage issues, and reducing frequent outages.
The move follows a system-wide review of the distribution network, which identified key operational gaps, infrastructure constraints, and service delivery challenges affecting electricity supply in the region.
Mr. Maxwell Kotoka, Corporate Communications Director of VRA/NEDCo, told journalists at a press briefing that the current low-voltage situation in Tamale is not linked to power generation or transmission, but rather to distribution challenges.
According to him, undersized conductors, overloaded transformers and substations, as well as consumer interference with the network, are the main causes of the ongoing power problems. He noted that the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) is working to resolve these issues.
He said NEDCo has increased the number of fault response teams to ensure prompt attention to outages, revamped its complaint lines to improve accessibility, and is installing higher-capacity transformers at strategic locations as a short-term measure.
Mr. Kotoka disclosed that the first batch of the 500 transformers is expected to arrive within the next two weeks.
He added that NEDCo would also embark on stakeholder engagements to educate the public and discourage interference with the electricity network.
“Any interference with the network is likely to have negative consequences for all of us,” he cautioned, and assured residents and stakeholders of NEDCo’s commitment to delivering stable, reliable, and consistent power supply across the region.
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale