The Ghana Grid Company Ltd. (GRIDCo) has completed the reconstruction of a critical transmission tower on its Akwatia–New Obuasi line in the Eastern region, after it was damaged by illegal chainsaw activity in March.

Final works to restore full power flow, including conductor stringing, are expected to be completed by Sunday, April 20, 2025.

In a statement issued on Thursday, April 17, GRIDCo said the incident occurred on March 17 when illegal chainsaw operators felled a tall tree that struck a critical tower section of the 161kV transmission line. The line is a major source of power supply to Kumasi and parts of Ghana’s middle belt.

“The outage to the line has significantly affected the quality of supply since the incident to Kumasi and its surroundings,” the release noted.

GRIDCo engineers responded quickly on the day of the incident, but the assessment revealed extensive damage to the structure, requiring heavy-duty equipment to access the site, dismantle the broken tower, and build a new one.

“On Thursday, April 17, the reconstruction of the new tower has been completed,” the company confirmed. It added that the remaining work stringing new conductors is expected to be finished by Sunday, April 20, 2025, after which power will be fully restored.

The company used the opportunity to highlight the risks posed by illegal logging and mining operations. “GRIDCo wishes to draw attention to the negative effects of illegal chainsaw operators (and sometimes ‘galamsey’ operations) whose activities often damage our electricity transmission infrastructure across the country.”

GRIDCo also expressed regret for the inconvenience caused, particularly to residents in Kumasi and surrounding areas.

“GRIDCo apologises to the public especially, residents of Kumasi and its surroundings for the power challenges brought on as a result of the damage to the line.”