The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has apologised to Ghanaians over the recent power outages across the country.

The outages began after a fire outbreak at the Akosombo GRIDCO substation, which blocked about 1,000 megawatts of power.

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 which 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.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, has directed the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) to step aside pending an investigation into a fire at the Akosombo Power Control Centre.

eanwhile, 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.

However, these countries will be left to temporarily cater for themselves as the fire outbreak damaged a transmission system with a capacity of about 720 megawatts at GRIDCo's substation at Akosombo.

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.”

“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”.

Meanwhile, the cause of the fire is yet to be determined by authorities. Recently, the country has been experiencing temporary power outages, locally known as 'dumsor', but President John Dramani Mahama insists they are part of ongoing system upgrades.

While inspecting new transformers acquired for the Northern Electricity Distribution Company Limited (NEDCo), President Mahama noted that "The outages you are facing are not dumsor, it is to enable you to get better quality and stable power.”

As part of efforts 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.

The Minister disclosed this while answering questions on the floor of Parliament on Monday, March 16. According to him, all households will benefit from upgraded electricity infrastructure.

“Next month, we will start the large-scale rollout of transformers. Within that same month, we should see a much more massive injection of new, standardised, and accurate meters. That is how we can make sure that there is guaranteed revenue for investment. All meters procured are tested. I can assure you that these meters are of high quality; they meet the standards, and they do the job they are supposed to do,” he said.

His comments come amid growing concerns from sections of the public, who claim they are being overcharged and that their prepaid credit no longer lasts as long as before.

Meanwhile, the Communications Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), William Boateng, has asserted that heat conditions, wiring, and earthing are most likely contributing factors to excessive electricity consumption affecting its customers.

This was in response to concerns from sections of the public who have made claims of being overcharged and that their prepaid credit no longer lasts as long as before.

In an interview on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem, Mr. Boateng advised customers to frequently check for possible electrical faults in their homes.

“When the heat increases, someone can even double the use of cooling appliances. That alone can affect your consumption. Sometimes the issue may be with wiring or earthing. That is why we have certified electrical contractors who can check whether there is leakage or any fault affecting consumption,” he said.”

Mr. Boateng urged customers who notice irregularities in their billing to report them directly to ECG for investigation, so that engineers can inspect the meter, review consumption patterns, and identify the cause of the problem.

“We work with machines; it is not about defending anything. There could be a margin of error. If your bill exceeds what you expected or your credit finishes unusually fast, report it to ECG,” he urged, adding that, "When customers report, we can properly investigate, analyse the situation, and resolve it if there is a genuine problem," he assured.