Power restored after Akosombo fire triggered nationwide blackouts, Energy Minister confirms

Ghana’s electricity supply has been fully restored following a major system disruption caused by a fire at the Akosombo Power Control Centre, Energy Minister John Abdulai Jinapor announced on Friday.

In a Facebook post on May 1, Jinapor confirmed that all generation units are back in service after emergency teams worked around the clock to stabilise the national grid.

“Mission accomplished. All generation units are now back in service. In the face of a major system disruption, and against all odds, our engineers, technicians, and emergency teams worked around the clock to restore power and stabilise the grid,” the minister said.

The fire at the critical transmission facility forced engineers to isolate sections of the grid, triggering widespread outages and unstable supply across several regions. Officials estimated that between 720 and 1,000 megawatts of transmission capacity was affected.

The disruption led to days of intermittent blackouts that hit households and businesses nationwide.

Jinapor praised the coordinated efforts of the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo), Volta River Authority (VRA), Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), and other supporting agencies.

“This moment shows that even under pressure, Ghana can rely on the strength and skill of its people,” he added.

In the aftermath of the incident, the minister directed GRIDCo’s acting CEO, Ing. Mark Awuah Baah, to step aside pending an independent investigation into the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage.

The government has also announced leadership changes within ECG’s Ashanti Regional office following persistent concerns over erratic power supply.

Authorities say upgrade works to strengthen the grid’s resilience are ongoing, and measures are being taken to prevent a recurrence.