Omanghana
The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Dr. John Abdulai Jinapor, has appealed to Ghanaians to remain patient as engineers work to complete a temporary containerized control room at the Akosombo Substation by September 2026.
The Ministry linked recent nationwide power outages, including major system disturbances recorded on July 29 and August 20, to temporary operating arrangements introduced after a fire damaged the Ghana Grid Company Limited’s control facilities at the Akosombo Switchyard.
The fire, which occurred on April 23, reportedly destroyed the primary control room and affected the normal operation of the substation. Authorities were subsequently required to choose between completely shutting down the Akosombo Generating Station for about six months or introducing an improvised system to maintain electricity supply during reconstruction.
According to the Ministry, the temporary arrangement was selected to prevent prolonged nationwide load management and its potential consequences for households, businesses and essential public services.
Although the interim mechanism allowed electricity generation and transmission to continue, its temporary nature has made the system more vulnerable to disturbances. Faults on critical transmission lines can trigger protective shutdowns of generating units, increasing the likelihood of widespread outages.
Dr. Jinapor therefore asked the public to “bear with the system” while GRIDCo and other technical teams work to strengthen the substation’s control infrastructure.
Restoration work has entered its second phase, which involves the installation of a containerized, flame-retardant control facility. The structure will be fitted with modern control panels, rectifiers and separated underground cabling to reduce operational risks and improve reliability.
The facility is expected to be completed in September and has been designed to operate reliably for up to two years. Its completion is expected to stabilize the grid and reduce the frequency of outages linked to the current improvised arrangement.
After the temporary facility becomes operational, authorities will proceed with the third phase of the project—the construction of a permanent, modern control center at the Akosombo Substation.
The Ministry has assured the public that engineers are working urgently to complete the installation and restore greater stability to the National Interconnected Transmission System.
A ChannelOne TV report on the Akosombo Substation restoration provides further details about the damage caused by the April fire and the multi-stage recovery plan.
Source: Omanghana
