In a commendable display of inter-regional cooperation and technical expertise, engineers from the Accra and Ashanti Sub-Transmission teams of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) have successfully resolved a complex fault involving a jammed 33kV Schneider GIS circuit breaker at the Ridge Bulk Supply Point (BSP) in Kumasi.
The critical fault, affecting the 13F2 GRIDCo Incomer, occurred on Monday, 16th June 2025, at 14:05 hrs. The seized mechanism disrupted switching operations, leading to a load shedding of 18MW and impacting several areas in Ashanti West and South over a three-day period.
In response, ECG’s Accra Sub-Transmission team swiftly deployed two senior engineers, Gilbert Koomson and Isaac Akoto-Obeng, to support the Ashanti team. The engineers arrived in Kumasi early on Tuesday, 17th June, and immediately began work to dismantle, inspect, and reassemble the intricate breaker mechanism—a task rarely undertaken in ECG’s operational history.
Working intensively from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday, the team continued their efforts into the early hours of Thursday, 19th June, ultimately resolving the fault by 8:00 a.m. Their intervention involved manually disassembling and reassembling the internal components of the breaker mechanism twice, under significant time pressure and without a prior model.
This hands-on approach restored full functionality to the GRIDCo incomer and averted the need for an emergency deployment of a mobile breaker from Accra, which would have incurred substantial costs and delays.
ECG’s Director of Operations, Ing. Emmanuel Akinie, commended the team for their exceptional dedication and expertise:
“Thank you, Gilbert, Isaac, and the Ashanti team. I was closely monitoring the progress. At one point, we considered deploying mobile breakers as a temporary measure. Your commitment and professionalism spared the company that effort. We are proud of you. Kudos, and once again, thank you.”
This milestone underscores ECG’s growing internal capacity to handle high-voltage equipment failures, significantly improving response time and enhancing supply reliability across the network.
As Nelson Mandela aptly put it, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” This achievement is a powerful reminder that resilience, teamwork, and technical excellence can turn even the most formidable challenges into remarkable successes.
