Metal pylons carrying high tension transmission lines across the country are under threat by economic saboteurs who remove them and sell them as scrap. The company in charge of bulk electricity transmission, Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCO), has warned of dire consequences for the country, if the stealing continues and called on the public and security agencies to assist in curbing the trend. GRIDCO sounded the warning at a training workshop to sensitise the media to the need for public protection of its transmission lines against thefts. Mr. Mark Baah, Marketing Operations Manager of GRIDCO said stealing of the metal bars could cause the collapse of the country's power transmission system. Already the thefts have resulted in the collapse of some pylons. The slightest blow of winds or rainfall poses danger to lives and property. Mr. Baah said it was also bringing extra cost to the company and government since new materials had to be imported to replace the stolen metals. The metal bars are traced to the shops of scrap dealers and metal workers. They are used to fabricate all sorts of metal-based items including body parts of commercial vehicles. Mr. Baah spoke about illegal miming as another concern that undermined the company's operations. He said the gallamsey operators work so close to high tension poles, weakening the base and foundation of the poles. This poses a serious threat not only to the miners themselves but also to the communities and inhabitants where the mining takes place in the event of collapse of the transmission lines. GRIDCO, was established out of the Volta River Authority (VRA) to provide separate transmission function from the other activities of the VRA. The company is mandated to carry out economic dispatch and safe transmission of electricity from wholesale suppliers to bulk customers and also to provide fair and non-discriminatory transmission services to all power market participants. Presently construction of transmissions lines from Aboadze through Tema to Nigeria is underway to enable GRIDCO to match supply with demand. Source: Times