Findings into fire outbreak in GRIDCo's at Akosombo to be released in two weeks – Energy Ministry

The committee established to probe the fire outbreak at the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) Akosombo Substation has been given a two-week deadline to conclude its findings, the Ministry of Energy has disclosed.

Speaking to the media on Monday, April 27, the Spokesperson for the Energy Ministry, Richmond Rockson, stated that the decision to make the findings of the report public will depend on its nature and sensitivity.

“The committee has two weeks to do its work and submit its report. Depending on the nature of the report, you can make it public, and sometimes, you may have to issue a white paper depending on the findings of the committee,” he added.

Authorities over the weekend announced that they have set up a seven-member committee to investigate the recent explosion and fire outbreak at the GRIDCo Akosombo Substation, which occurred on the afternoon of Thursday, April 23.

As a result, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Grid Company Limited, Ing. Mark Awuah Baah, has been directed by the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, to step aside as investigations begin into the fire outbreak at the Akosombo Power Control Centre.

Recently, Ghana has been experiencing temporary power outages, locally known as “dumsor.”

However, the Spokesperson and Head of Communications at the Ministry of Energy, Richmond Rockson, has attributed the disruption to damage caused to the transmission system with a capacity of about 720 megawatts as a result of the fire outbreak.

He described the development as “a significant hit,” explaining that the affected system supplies electricity to major parts of the country.He added, “The system that got affected was about 720 megawatts. That system transmits power to major parts of the country, so this is a significant hit. The Akosombo Dam generates a little over 1,000 megawatts.”

The Ministry of Energy and Green Transition has taken steps to avert disruptions in Ghana’s power supply following a major fire incident at the Akosombo transmission network.

As part of the measures, Ghana will temporarily halt power supply to neighboring countries. The Deputy Energy Minister, Richard Gyan-Mensah disclosed while engaging the press on Friday, April 24.

Ghana primarily exports electricity to Togo, Benin, and Burkina Faso through the 225kV Bolgatanga-Ouagadougou interconnection. To enhance revenue mobilisation in the energy sector and stabilise power supply, the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition says it will introduce standardised, accurate electricity meters from next month to boost revenue mobilisation and stabilise power supply.

In a related development, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has apologised to Ghanaians over the recent power outages across the country.

Speaking on the situation on the Channel One Newsroom on Sunday, April 26, ECG’s General Manager for External Relations, Dr Charles Nii Ayiku Ayiku, was sorry for the inconvenience caused, describing the incident as unexpected and significant.

“I sincerely apologise for the inconvenience our cherished customers are facing. The incident wasn’t expected. It was a major incident that has rendered the entire control room affected and down, and we sincerely apologise to our customers.

“After Akosombo, the fact is that it blocked about 1000 megawatts, but I am sure you also understand that even after losing 1000 megawatts, we have still been consistent with power supply within some parts of the country,” he said.

He assured that his outfit is making relentless efforts with restoration works currently underway across the transmission network, with full restoration imminent soon, hence he urged the public to remain calm amid the inconveniences being caused by the outages.

“The question is, the current situation at the Akosombo GRIDCO substation is a work in progress. As I speak to you, there is a resolution; there are some of the issues that have been resolved, some parts of the country are back on full supply, pending other lines that will be restored.

“The engineers have assured us that very soon we will get back on supply. I would once again urge the general public and our customers to remain calm and be assured that the situation is under control,” he stated.

Dr Ayiku cautioned against calls for a load-shedding timetable at this stage, describing it as premature.

“So if we start talking about a load shedding timetable right now, don’t you think it is too early to call for a load shedding timetable?” he said.He added that ECG, GRIDCO, and the Volta River Authority (VRA) are working together to restore full power supply across the country.