Single substation failure cripples grid

By Kizito CUDJOE

Government is working to restore stable electricity supply within days of a fire at the Akosombo substation knocking out more than 1,000 megawatts of power, causing widespread outages in one of the most serious disruptions to the national grid in recent years.

The Minister of Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, said two generating units have been restored through emergency interventions, with efforts underway to bring the remaining capacity back online within a week.

The incident, which crippled power evacuation from the country’s largest hydroelectric source, has highlighted the vulnerability of critical grid infrastructure even as authorities pursue broader reforms to stabilise the sector.

Speaking during a press briefing on the current state of power supply, the minister said government has over the last fifteen months worked to stabilise the power sector and deliver a more reliable electricity supply to homes, businesses and industry.

“This has been achieved despite inheriting a generation deficit of over 700 megawatts in December 2024, a gap that posed serious risk to national productivity and economic stability,” he said.

He added that significant structural reforms have been implemented across the entire power value chain from generation through transmission to distribution, noting that “these reforms are not abstract; they are measurable and impactful”.

On the generation side, he said Independent Power Producers (IPPs) have seen improved payment performance – helping to restore confidence and strengthen partnerships within the sector, while fuel supply has stabilised considerably.

“Within the distribution segment, revenue collection by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) has improved significantly,” he said, adding that this has enhanced operational capacity and enabled investments in network maintenance and expansion.

However, he acknowledged recent setbacks that have disrupted supply. “While these incidents are unfortunate, they are being addressed with urgency and coordination,” he said, assuring that technical teams are working to resolve them and government will maintain transparency on their causes and implications.

The minister described the fire at Akosombo substation as “one of the most serious and unprecedented disruptions ever experienced in the country’s power sector”.

The incident damaged the control room responsible for power evacuation, effectively crippling a critical part of the transmission system and leaving more than 1,000 megawatts of power stranded.

“This has inevitably resulted in supply disruptions across parts of the country,” he said, noting that the temporary curtailment of output from the Akosombo Dam has created severe supply challenges not seen in recent times.

He said engineers have been deployed to the site and are working around the clock under difficult conditions to restore operations.

“I am pleased to report that through emergency technical interventions, the first generating unit was successfully restored yesterday. This afternoon, I received confirmation that the second unit has also been synchronised,” he said.

Work is ongoing to bring the remaining units back online as quickly and safely as possible, he added.

The minister said ECG has been directed to provide regular updates to the public on affected areas and restoration timelines.

He also announced the formation of a technical committee, chaired by Ing. William Amuna, to investigate the fire’s cause, alongside parallel probes by security agencies into any potential criminal aspects.

“Disasters of this nature are neither predictable nor entirely preventable. What remains within our control is the speed, coordination and determination with which we respond,” he said.

Beyond immediate disruption, the minister pointed to deeper structural challenges within the power sector… particularly in distribution infrastructure.

He noted that many transformers across the country are obsolete and overstretched due to rising demand and years of underinvestment resulting in overloads, low voltage and recurring outages.

To address this, government is rolling out a nationwide Transformer Upgrade and Replacement Programme (TURP).

About 200 transformers have already been installed in April, with another 140 expected to be deployed within the week. Authorities aim to install more than 2,500 transformers nationwide by the end of 2026.

High-capacity transformers are also being deployed at key bulk supply points including Adenta, Lashibi and Teshie-Nungua, with similar work planned for Kumasi.

The Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) is preparing to commence transmission reinforcement work at Kumasi in June, while CENIT Energy Limited is supporting efforts to boost generation capacity in the Ashanti Region by airlifting critical components.

The minister said government remains focused on addressing both immediate disruptions and long-term structural weaknesses.

“We are restoring what has been disrupted. We are replacing what is no longer fit for purpose and we are building a stronger, more resilient power system for the future,” he said.

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