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Akosombo Fire Damages Key Control Facility, Leaves Over 1,000MW Stranded — Jinapor
Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, has revealed that the recent fire outbreak at the Akosombo Dam destroyed a vital control room, significantly disrupting electricity supply nationwide.
Addressing the Government Accountability Series on Monday, April 27, the Minister indicated that the incident compromised a crucial part of the system responsible for transmitting power from generation sources to the national grid.
“The fire incident severely damaged the control room responsible for power evacuation,” he said.
He characterised the development as one of the most severe challenges to Ghana’s power sector in recent years.
“This incident represents one of the most serious and unprecedented disruptions ever experienced in Ghana’s power sector,” he noted.
Providing further clarification, Mr Jinapor explained that electricity generated from hydro and thermal plants must first be routed through the control room before it can be transmitted for distribution.
“When power is generated, it must first pass through the control room, which then channels it through the switch yard for onward distribution,” he explained.
He stressed that the destruction of the control room has made it impossible to transmit electricity as required.
“When you lose the control room, it means that immediately, you cannot evacuate any power,” he said.
According to him, the damage has resulted in a substantial volume of stranded power.
“It is crippling a critical component of the transmission system, leaving over 1,000 megawatts of power stranded at Akosombo,” he stated.
While other power plants remain operational, he acknowledged that the loss of output from Akosombo has created a significant supply gap.
“Despite the loss of Akosombo, all the other plants have been running, but it leaves a major deficit,” he said.
Mr Jinapor added that the disruption has led to power outages in several parts of the country, affecting both households and businesses.
“Obviously, with such an unfortunate situation… it results in supply disruption across parts of the country,” he said.
He assured the public that restoring stable electricity supply remains a top priority for government.
“My foremost desire and objective is to ensure that every Ghanaian enjoys a stable, reliable and uninterrupted power supply,” he said.
The Minister also expressed sympathy to consumers affected by the outages, acknowledging the inconvenience caused.
“I wish to assure you that I deeply empathise with you and share your frustration and discomfort in this difficult moment,” he said.
He admitted that the incident was unforeseen and without precedent.
“We never anticipated this; we never saw it coming. We’ve never witnessed it,” he stated, expressing confidence in overcoming the situation.
“It’s challenging, but we will rise above it,” he added.
Mr Jinapor further disclosed that engineers have been working tirelessly on-site to restore operations, with some personnel remaining at the facility for several days without rest.
“Our engineers have remained on site… some have stayed there for three continuous days without leaving, working around the clock under very difficult conditions,” he revealed.
