A brief power outage on the Akyawkrom 2 feeder on June 11, 2025, has reignited conversations about one of the most unexpected threats to Ghana’s electricity grid—wildlife.
The culprit this time? A snake. According to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), the reptile had crawled into a substation at Kwaso in the Ejisu enclave, creating a bridge between the feeder and the ground—disrupting power supply across parts of the Ashanti Region.
The ECG’s Ashanti Sub-Transmission Line Maintenance Team swiftly restored supply, but officials say the incident is part of a recurring pattern.
“Wildlife, especially snakes and birds, continue to pose real threats to grid reliability,” ECG’s Ashanti Sub-Transmission Head of PR, Collins Manu, told reporters.
“Today’s outage was brief, but it highlights why we are proactively investing in wildlife mitigation infrastructure—including snake guards, tighter sealing of cable entries, and regular habitat clearing around substations.”
He stressed that the ECG is not waiting for faults to occur before acting.
“Our preventive measures include trimming vegetation, reinforcing fencing, and improving drainage systems to make substations less attractive to snakes and other animals.
At the same time, we continue to sensitise communities on the importance of reporting unusual activity around our assets,” Manu said.
The call for vigilance was echoed by Ing. Peter K. Fletcher, General Manager of ECG Ashanti Sub-Transmission, who emphasized the role of the public.
“Our customers are our first line of defence,” Ing. Fletcher noted. “When they report early, we’re able to intervene quickly and prevent potential outages.”
