The Ministry of Energy and Green Transition has taken steps to temporarily suspend electricity exports to neighbouring countries as part of emergency protocols aimed at protecting Ghana’s domestic power supply following a significant fire incident at the Akosombo transmission network.
This decision comes in response to a fire outbreak at a substation in Akosombo, located in the Eastern Region, which has caused damage to a transmission system with a capacity of approximately 720 megawatts.
The Ministry has indicated that the affected facility accounts for nearly 70% of the transmission capacity linked to the Akosombo Dam.
During an interview on Friday, April 24, Deputy Energy Minister Richard Gyan-Mensah stated that this measure is essential to address the immediate shortfall and ensure a stable supply for local consumers.
“This is an emergency that has actually occasioned it. It is brief; it is not something that is going to last longer. I think they have also heard what has happened to us. In this situation, we need to take some actions and this is one of them,” he remarked.
He further mentioned that the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and GRIDCo are ramping up output from available thermal plants to help mitigate the gap created by the disruption and maintain stability on the national grid.
The fire, which took place on Thursday, April 23, 2026, is reported to have damaged critical components within the substation, impacting transmission stability and leading to power outages in various regions of the country.
Technical teams are actively engaged in efforts to restore full functionality and minimise any further disruptions to supply.
In the meantime, the Ministry has established a committee to investigate the cause of the fire and propose preventive measures to avert a recurrence.
