The GRIDCo Land Management Department (LMD) in collaboration with the Network Departments has organised its first ever Conference with Line Maintenance Supervisors at NND Head office, Anwomaso in the Ashanti Region. The purpose of the conference was to deliberate on strategies to improve the management of vegetation within GRIDCo’s Rights-of-Way (RoW).
In his opening remarks, Ing. Benjamin Ntsin, Director of NND, emphasised the importance of engaging with the linemen, who possess valuable field experience, and wished everyone a fruitful discussion.
On his part, Ing. Bismark Anane, Director, Land Management reiterated the significance of the conference saying, “GRIDCo through the RoW vegetation control section has undertaken intensive RoW vegetation management since 2019, and I believe 5 years is enough for us to assess the goal of vegetation management and the actuals with the view to improving bushing clearing to prevent vegetation-caused outages on the grid”. He explained that the RoW Vegetation Control section was established to strategically manage vegetation within and around the transmission line RoW, a crucial step toward achieving GRIDCo’s goal of ensuring a reliable electricity supply both in Ghana and beyond for development.
Ing. Ntsin Director, Northern Network (NN), stressed the importance of gathering accurate information on transmission lines and vegetation conditions and urged the team to diligently carry out their monitoring duties, as it is vital to GRIDCo’s success.
The Director, Southern Network (SN), Ing. Hussaini Adams urged the line maintenance engineers be proactive in addressing RoW issues. He further advised the LMD team to address compensation claims promptly to avoid obstruction to maintenance works due to unresolved claims within the RoWs.
Ing. Raphael Kornor, the Chief Line Technician Engineer/NND delivered a presentation on GRIDCo’s partnership with the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on cultivating low growing plants to prevent regrowth of tall tree species after bulldoser clearing of vegetation within the RoW.
Ing. Kportufe, who moderated the session, encouraged the engineers to maintain positive attitude towards ensuring the RoW remains clear of tall trees to prevent vegetation related outages. This is because any disruptions to the lines could negatively impact the company’s finances.
Ing. Ntsin cautioned the RoW Vegetation Control Team to consider the environmental impact of bulldoser clearing works. He urged the team to devise strategies to minimise environmental degradation and pollution. He also called for a collaborative effort among the LMD, the Network Departments and TSD to ensure that drone usage is effectively integrated into their operations.
Ing. Hussaini stressed the importance of innovation and suggested that the conference should not be a onetime event but should be held regularly. He also advised the team to respect each other’s perspectives and work together to address the long-standing challenges of RoW management.
In closing, Ing. Bismark Anane assured the engineers that the issues and suggestions discussed would be presented to GRIDCo’s Management for further deliberation.
