GRIDCo reports ECG to Energy Minister for failing to comply with load shedding timetable

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), the electricity distributor, has been reported by the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) to the sector minister for noncompliance with a load management plan.

The systems manager told the Minister in a letter that 3News was able to view that ECG had repeatedly disregarded the load management recommendations made by the GRIDCo System Control Center (SCC).

Additionally, GRIDCo made it clear that the charges made against it for emergency disconnections are not true in the current situation.

The business emphasized that GRIDCo should not be held accountable for things outside of its purview because ECG’s disregard for load management directives is a breach of the law.

“We note with grave concern the repeated instances where Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Operations personnel fail to follow load management instructions issued by the SCC. This non-compliance poses a significant threat to the stability of the power grid, potentially leading to avoidable power outages for customers and system collapse.”

“The SCC routinely communicates load management directives to ECG Operations. However, these instructions are often either not effected or inadequately implemented,” the letter added.

This, according to GRIDCo, results in a “decline in system frequency, triggering the operation of the Automatic Frequency Load Shedding (AFLS) relays,” adding that “SCC has to disconnect feeders serving bulk customers to correct the decaying frequency.”

GRIDCo cited March 20 and 21 instances where the system manager had to take off Tema and Tafo feeders which resulted in a system drop to “critical levels.”

“March 21, 2024, 07:59h: The SCC had to take Tafo feeders out of service due to ECG’s failure to properly implement load management instructions. This resulted in a system frequency drop to a critical level of 49.47 Hz.”

“March 20, 2024, Peak Hours: Similar non-compliance by ECG operations during peak hours forced the SCC to disconnect feeders in Tema, Winneba, Kasoa, and Kumasi. This action was taken to prevent system collapse after the frequency dropped to a concerning 49.29 Hz,” the letter explained.

Read the full statement of GRIDCo below:

Source: Ghanatodayonline.com