Nationwide Power Disruptions as Akosombo Dam Shut Down After GRIDCo Substation Fire

Ghana has been plunged into widespread power disruptions following the complete shutdown of the Akosombo Dam after a devastating fire destroyed key infrastructure at the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) substation at Akosombo.

The Ministry of Energy confirmed that the blaze caused extensive damage to the dam’s critical switchyard system, forcing authorities to halt operations entirely — a move that has significantly affected electricity supply across the country.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, April 27, the Ministry’s spokesperson, Richmond Rockson, described the scale of destruction as severe and unprecedented.

The switchyard at the Akosombo Substation is completely burnt down and not salvageable. The primary control room is gone. It was even difficult for us to access the site when we went to assess the situation,” he said.

He explained that the damage to the switching system — a critical component for transmitting power from the dam — made it impossible to continue operations, necessitating the immediate shutdown of the facility.

We had to shut the Akosombo Dam completely, and that is what has caused the outages in many parts of the country. Akosombo is a major component of our power generation,” he added.

The fire reportedly broke out at about 2:01 p.m. on Thursday, April 23, engulfing the substation, one of the most vital installations in Ghana’s electricity transmission network.

Despite the scale of destruction, authorities say emergency measures are underway to restore some level of stability to the national grid. Engineers are currently working to bypass the damaged system, while limited generation has resumed.

Rockson disclosed that one of the dam’s six turbine units is now operational, providing partial power as efforts intensify to fully restore supply.

The incident has once again exposed the vulnerability of Ghana’s energy infrastructure, with the Akosombo Dam — a cornerstone of the nation’s electricity generation — playing a central role in the current outages.

Officials have assured the public that restoration efforts are ongoing, but the timeline for full recovery remains uncertain.