The Minister of Energy and Green Transition, Dr. John Abdulai Jinapor, has directed individuals and businesses operating within electricity transmission rights-of-way to vacate within one month or risk forced eviction. He issued the warning on Thursday, August 13, 2026, during an inspection of a damaged transmission tower belonging to the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) at Ashaiman Middle East.
The damage followed an incident on July 10 at approximately 3 p.m., when a tanker exploded during welding activities reportedly carried out by local artisans. Fragments from the blast struck the transmission tower, compromising its structural integrity. The affected double-circuit tower carried two critical transmission lines linking GRIDCo’s Volta Substation in Tema to the Achimota Substation in Accra—lines that supply a substantial portion of the capital’s electricity.
According to GRIDCo, the weakened tower posed a risk of collapse, with the potential to affect neighbouring towers and trigger a major disruption in power supply.
One-Month Ultimatum
Dr Jinapor said the incident highlighted the dangers associated with illegal activities within transmission-line rights-of-way. He stressed that people were not permitted to construct structures or conduct activities under high-voltage transmission pylons because doing so endangered the infrastructure, workers and the general public.
The minister said the government had repeatedly appealed to occupants to leave voluntarily but warned that stronger enforcement measures would now follow. He announced that all persons occupying areas under transmission pylons, around transformer installations and other critical energy infrastructure would have one month to evacuate.
He said that after the deadline, the government would collaborate with the police, military, National Security and local assemblies to forcibly remove those who remained. Dr Jinapor said items left behind could also be confiscated and auctioned. He stressed that the directive applied nationwide and not only to the location of the damaged tower.
The minister also warned companies using areas under transmission pylons as car parks, describing the practice as illegal. He appealed to the public and the media to support the enforcement exercise, saying the objective was to protect lives and property and prevent a major energy-related disaster.
Danger
The Chief Executive of GRIDCo, Frank Otchere, similarly urged the public to respect GRIDCo’s transmission-line rights-of-way, stressing that the high-voltage infrastructure remained extremely dangerous.
He said the incident should serve as a warning that activities carried out too close to transmission infrastructure could have serious consequences for both public safety and electricity supply.
He explained that the company initially expected the replacement to take two days but was seeking to complete the work within about 12 hours.
He cautioned that the work could temporarily affect electricity supply to some parts of Accra because the affected lines serve critical loads.
He however indicated that GRIDCo was conducting simulations to minimise the impact and would announce the areas likely to experience interruptions as a result of the repair works.
Writer’s email benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh
