Ghana’s Ministry of Energy has confirmed the complete shutdown of the Akosombo Dam following a devastating fire at a substation operated by the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo).
The incident has triggered widespread power outages across the country, underscoring the dam’s critical role in Ghana’s electricity supply.
Ministry spokesperson Richmond Rockson said the shutdown was unavoidable after key infrastructure was destroyed in the blaze.
“The switchyard at the Akosombo substation is completely burnt down and not salvageable. The primary control room is also completely destroyed,” he stated.
According to Rockson, the scale of the damage has made it impossible to safely continue operations at one of the country’s most important power generation facilities. He added that engineers faced difficulty accessing parts of the site during initial assessments.
“It was even difficult for us to walk there when we got there to assess the situation,” he said.
The fire broke out around 2:01 p.m. on Thursday, April 23, engulfing the GRIDCo substation responsible for transmitting power from the Akosombo facility to the national grid.
Authorities say the destruction of the switch system has rendered operations in the area inoperable, necessitating a full shutdown of the dam as a safety precaution.
Rockson, speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, April 27, emphasised that the decision was taken to prevent further risks while technical teams assess the extent of the damage.
Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing, with restoration efforts expected to begin after comprehensive technical evaluations are completed.
