The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Dr John Jinapor, has issued a one-month ultimatum to individuals, businesses and other entities occupying or operating within GRIDCo’s transmission-line right-of-ways across the country to vacate the areas or face forced removal.

The directive follows a major incident at Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region, where a tanker explosion severely damaged a critical transmission tower during welding activities beneath high-voltage power lines. GRIDCo reported the incident on July 10, after the tanker exploded while welding works were being carried out.

The force of the explosion reportedly sent part of the tanker’s rear structure more than 300 metres away, striking one of GRIDCo’s transmission towers.

The affected structure is a double-circuit tower carrying two critical transmission lines from GRIDCo’s Volta Substation at Ashaiman to the Achimota Substation in Accra.

The lines supply electricity to a significant portion of the capital, raising concerns that any further damage to the tower could trigger widespread disruption to power supply.

Dr Jinapor visited the site to assess the progress of the replacement works.

He said the Government had on several occasions appealed to individuals and businesses to vacate GRIDCo’s transmission corridors, warning that activities within the right-of-ways posed serious risks to both critical national infrastructure and human lives.

He warned that after the deadline, Government would deploy the Police, Military, National Security, metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies, as well as other relevant institutions, to remove remaining occupants.

"Like I said, people are not supposed to encroached the right of way and so let me make it clear without equivocation that where persuasion fails force must be apply legally.

"We've been announcing, we've been issuing statements, we've been appealing to people to move away or evacuate on their and to stop working under the pylongs.

"In fact as you see for yourself, these pylongs are very high voltage pylongs and you're not supposed to work under them. I have reached the His Excellency the president and we're coming out with a policy to work in collaboration with the police, with the military, with the national security, with the Assembly and all stakeholders.

"Let me just note that, all those operating under these pylongs to evacuate on their own within one month. If they do not evacuate within that one month, we're going to undertake a very massive exercise to forceful eject them, confiscate whatever items are left under the pylongs and option them," he warned.

The Chief Executive Officer of GRIDCo, Frank Okyere, said the impact of the explosion compromised the structural integrity of the tower and created the risk of a possible collapse.

He stressed the need for businesses to vacate the area to protect their own lives and save the country's millions of cedis.