‎ECG targets vegetation control to improve supply reliability in Ashanti Region

The Electricity Company of Ghana has intensified tree pruning and right-of-way clearing activities across the Ashanti Region as part of efforts to reduce power outages ahead of the rainy season.

The exercise is aimed at minimising electricity disruptions caused by overgrown vegetation, falling tree branches, and encroachment on power transmission corridors during heavy rains and storms.

Ashanti Sub-Transmission General Manager, Ing. Kofi Apau Ohenese, said vegetation-related faults remain one of the leading causes of feeder trips, voltage fluctuations, and damage to electrical infrastructure in the region.

“Government is supporting ECG to improve infrastructure on the network, but we must also pay serious attention to vegetation control and management to improve supply reliability in the Ashanti Region,” he said during an inter-regional operations meeting in Kumasi on Friday, May 22, 2026.

According to ECG officials, the maintenance exercise forms part of broader measures to improve power stability, strengthen network reliability, and reduce emergency repair costs during the rainy season.

To accelerate the programme, the company has begun settling outstanding arrears owed to contractors responsible for vegetation management and tree-cutting activities.

ECG has awarded contracts to six firms currently working along major electricity corridors, including:

• Akyawkrom to Kuntenase and Bekwai
• Anwomaso to Akyease
• Akyawkrom to Effiduase through to Kumawu

The company says these areas were prioritised because of their vulnerability to vegetation-related power disruptions.

Manager for Network Maintenance at Ashanti Sub-Transmission, Ing. James M. Yevunya, disclosed that approximately 75 percent of the maintenance work has already been completed.

According to him, ECG is targeting full completion of the exercise before the end of June 2026.

“Supply reliability and public safety are our ultimate goal. Our target is to eliminate vegetation-related tripping on our network,” Ing. Yevunya stated.

As part of efforts to improve efficiency, ECG has also introduced technology-driven monitoring systems to support the exercise.

The company is using its Network Management System App for real-time patrols, inspections, and monitoring of transmission corridors across the region.

Officials say the deployment of technology will improve response times, enhance monitoring accuracy, and support preventive maintenance activities.

Ing. Ohenese added that clearing outstanding contractor payments is expected to improve participation levels and speed up maintenance activities on critical sections of the electricity network.

ECG is also intensifying public education and community engagement efforts to discourage residents from planting tall trees under transmission lines and within designated buffer zones.

The company says such practices increase the risk of outages, infrastructure damage, and public safety incidents during storms and adverse weather conditions.

Industrial consumers in the region have welcomed the vegetation control initiative, citing the impact of unstable power supply on business operations.

An operations engineer at UNICEM Cement Ghana Limited said persistent voltage fluctuations within the Bekwai enclave occasionally disrupt production processes, especially during peak operational periods.

“If ECG’s vegetation control programme is sustained, it should help reduce some of these interruptions,” the engineer noted.

ECG expects the ongoing exercise to significantly reduce vegetation-related faults, improve voltage stability, and lower the cost of emergency network repairs across the Ashanti Region.