The Ministry of Energy has confirmed the complete shutdown of the Akosombo Dam following a destructive fire at a Ghana Grid Company substation in Akosombo, an incident that has resulted in widespread power outages nationwide.
Ministry spokesperson Richmond Rockson stated that the decision to halt operations was unavoidable due to the scale of damage to critical infrastructure.
“The switch yard, which is at the Akosombo Substation, is completely burnt down and it is not salvageable. The primary control room for the switch yard is completely gone,” he said.
He explained that the extent of the destruction has made it unsafe to continue operations at one of the country’s most significant power generation facilities. Officials who visited the site reportedly encountered difficulties accessing parts of the installation due to the severity of the damage.
“It was even difficult for us to walk there when we got there to assess the situation,” he added.
The fire is reported to have started at approximately 2:01 p.m. on Thursday, April 23, engulfing the GRIDCo substation, a critical node in transmitting electricity from the Akosombo Dam to the national grid. The shutdown has had a substantial impact on electricity supply, given the dam’s central role in Ghana’s energy mix.
Rockson emphasised that suspending operations was a necessary safety measure, as the destruction of the switch system has rendered the facility temporarily inoperable.
He made the remarks on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, April 27. Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing, while restoration efforts are expected to commence following comprehensive technical assessments.
