Operations at the Akosombo Dam have been completely shut down following a major fire outbreak at the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) substation in Akosombo, an incident that has triggered widespread power outages across the country.
This was announced by the spokesperson for Energy Ministry, Richmond Rockson, in an interview on Citi FM.
According to him, the fire caused extensive damage to critical transmission infrastructure, including the switchyard and control systems that support electricity distribution from the facility.
He explained that the damage was so severe that engineers had no choice but to shut down the dam entirely for safety reasons.
“The switch yard, which is at the Akosombo Substation, is completely burnt down and it is not salvageable. The primary control room for the switch yard is completely gone,” he said.
He added that the shutdown was necessary to prevent further system instability, noting that Akosombo plays a central role in Ghana’s power generation network.
“It was even difficult for us to walk there when we got there to assess the situation. And when that happened, we had to shut the Akosombo Dam completely,” he stated.
The fire reportedly broke out on Thursday, April 23, around 2:01 p.m., engulfing the substation and destroying key components of the national grid infrastructure.
Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the incident, GRIDCo Chief Executive Ing. Mark Awuah has been suspended as investigations commence, while senior Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) officials in the Ashanti Region have also been reshuffled to ensure accountability and restore stability to the power system.
