Akosombo Restores Four Units After Fire Disrupts Ghana’s Power Supply

Ghana has restored four of six generating units at the Akosombo Generating Station following last week’s fire at a key substation, Energy Minister John Abdulai Jinapor confirmed.

The plant, operated by the Volta River Authority, was forced offline on 23 April after a fire broke out at a switchyard belonging to the Ghana Grid Company, disrupting electricity supply across large parts of the country.

Jinapor said engineers had made significant progress in restoring operations, with the fourth unit returning to service late Tuesday evening, shortly after a third unit had been reconnected.

“At 9:09 p.m., the fourth unit… was successfully brought into operation,” the minister said, describing the development as an encouraging step towards stabilising supply.

The Akosombo facility, Ghana’s largest hydroelectric plant, has a total capacity of about 1,020 megawatts and remains central to the national grid.

The outage triggered widespread complaints, particularly from businesses dependent on steady electricity, intensifying pressure on authorities to expedite repairs.

Following the incident, the minister cut short an official trip to inspect the damage and oversee recovery efforts, assuring the public that round-the-clock work would restore full operations.

A seven-member committee, chaired by William Amuna of the Electricity Company of Ghana, has been established to investigate the cause of the fire.

Jinapor described the incident as “serious” and unusual, noting that the extent of the damage required a thorough probe.

The panel is expected to submit its findings within two to three weeks, with officials seeking to identify the root cause and prevent future disruptions.

Despite the setback, the government says the swift restoration of most units reflects its commitment to strengthening resilience in the country’s power infrastructure.