Gov’t Prioritises Domestic Supply as Akosombo Dam Outage Removes 1,000MW from Grid
Government has temporarily halted electricity exports following a fire outbreak at a substation near the Akosombo Dam, which has removed nearly 1,000 megawatts of power from the national grid.
The move, according to the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition, is part of emergency interventions aimed at maintaining stability in domestic power supply.
Spokesperson for the Ministry, Richmond Rockson, speaking on Joy FM on Friday, April 24, indicated that meeting local electricity demand has now taken precedence.
“As we speak, exports have been completely suspended. When you encounter domestic challenges, your first responsibility is to address them locally,” he stated.
“All the power currently being generated will be directed towards serving Ghanaians. These are temporary measures to ensure stability in power supply nationwide.”
The disruption follows a fire incident at a substation connected to the Akosombo Dam, a major contributor to Ghana’s electricity generation capacity.
Mr Rockson disclosed that engineers are working swiftly to restore operations, with the first generating unit expected to be brought back online within 24 hours.
“Akosombo has six units, and engineers have assured us that within 24 hours, the first unit will be operational. Once that is achieved, the same process will be applied to restore the remaining units,” he explained.
While initial projections suggested that full restoration could take up to five days, efforts are being intensified to shorten the recovery period.
Providing further insight into the impact, he noted that Ghana’s peak electricity demand stands at about 4,400 megawatts, with Akosombo accounting for roughly 1,000 megawatts.
“Our peak demand is about 4,400 megawatts, and Akosombo contributes approximately 1,000 megawatts. That capacity is what we have currently lost,” he said.
He added that the incident has exposed gaps in the country’s reserve capacity, limiting its ability to absorb such shocks.
“In a well-resilient power system, you should have about a 20 percent reserve margin. Unfortunately, we currently lack sufficient reserves to manage situations like this,” he noted.
Despite the disruption, the Ministry maintains that steps are being taken to strengthen generation capacity and improve system resilience.
Government plans include adding about 1,200 megawatts to the grid, alongside 200 megawatts of solar power supported by battery storage systems.
Additional projects aimed at delivering between 200 and 400 megawatts of reserve capacity are also in progress.
Mr Rockson further assured that gas supply remains stable and is not contributing to the current situation.
“Losing close to 1,000 megawatts is a significant challenge. However, engineers are working around the clock, and we are confident that normal supply will be restored,” he added.
