The Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) has announced the commencement of procurement processes for a 161kV transmission project along the Eastern Corridor, estimated at $353 million.
Nicholina Yembilah, Director of Engineering at GRIDCo, disclosed this at a press briefing on Thursday, explaining that the project would extend from Asebe through Boho, Kajeibi, Salaga and Banda in the Eastern part of Ghana. It will involve both the expansion of existing substations and the construction of new ones.
“So these projects actually are not cheap projects; they are very expensive projects,” she said. “We have prepared what we call the high-level cost estimates for those projects. We foresee expanding some substations in the Volta Region and upgrading them.”
Ms Yembilah said GRIDCo had already submitted cost estimates to the Ministry of Energy, which has directed the company to begin procurement.
She noted that before the government can secure loans for the project, feasibility studies as well as environmental and social impact assessments must be completed.
“The feasibility study gives us the true cost of the project in terms of the high-level designs they will do, and then the systems, the layout of the substations, and how to evacuate safely,” she explained.
She emphasised that the environmental and social studies would be equally critical, highlighting the importance of resettlement action and compensation. “Once it’s a transmission line, they’re taking people’s houses, people’s lives. And now, when the funding agencies come, first of all, they want to see how socially responsible you are before they’ll even give you their money,” she said.
The project has been handed over to GRIDCo’s Project Implementation Unit, which manages donor-funded projects. A request for expression of interest is being prepared to select consultants to carry out the required studies.
International lenders such as the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Agence Française de Développement (AFD) are expected to partner with government to secure financing once the preliminary studies are complete.
Ms Yembilah added that because of its size, the project would be implemented in phases, with some smaller interventions already under consideration.
“Like Kpeve Substation, for instance, the Southern Network Services Director is here. He’s already asking us to install the transformer that is at that substation sitting there now,” she noted.
She indicated that the full project is likely to begin in 2027, as feasibility and impact studies alone will take at least one year. She said delays could also occur due to clearance requirements under the Public Financial Management Act.
“With the PFM Act, you need to seek approval, financial clearance before you start any of these projects. That is what our Deputy Chief Executive, Finance and Resources, is working on,” she said.
