NEDCo explains Tamale outages, announces measures to fix

The Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) has attributed the recent power outages in the Tamale Metropolis and surrounding communities to challenges within its distribution network, ruling out issues related to power generation or transmission.

At a press conference in Tamale, Head of Corporate Affairs, Mr. Maxwell Kotoka, apologized to residents for the inconvenience caused and clarified that there is adequate power supply on the national grid.

He stressed that generation companies such as the Volta River Authority (VRA) and Independent Power Producers (IPPs), as well as the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), should not be blamed for the disruptions.

According to Mr. Kotoka, the outages are largely the result of localized distribution constraints, including undersized conductors, overloaded transformers and substations, and human interference such as unauthorized switching of power phases.

He noted that NEDCo has rolled out a series of interventions to address the situation and improve service delivery across the affected areas.

In the short term, the company has increased its operational response teams from one to three to speed up fault detection and resolution. Working hours have also been extended beyond 10:00 p.m., with plans underway to transition to 24-hour operations.

Additionally, NEDCo has enhanced its complaint management system by improving helplines and establishing a centralized contact centre to better respond to customer concerns. Some communities have also begun receiving new transformers to help stabilize power supply.

Mr. Kotoka further outlined medium- to long-term strategies aimed at strengthening the distribution network. He disclosed that, with support from the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition, NEDCo is expected to receive about 500 transformers to boost capacity and reduce system overloads.

He added that the company will intensify public education campaigns to discourage interference with electricity infrastructure, which has contributed to the persistent outages.

NEDCo assured residents of its commitment to restoring stable power supply and called for public cooperation as it works to resolve the challenges.