Akosombo back on stream: Two units restored, full recovery expected this week - Energy Minister
The Minister of Energy and Green Transition, Dr John Abdulai Jinapor, has announced a major breakthrough in the nation’s recovery from last week’s devastating substation fire, confirming that two generating units at the Akosombo Dam have been successfully restored to the national grid.
Making an appearance yesterday during a Government Accountability Series at the Jubilee House in Accra, Dr Jinapor provided a detailed update on the emergency technical interventions following the April 23 fire that crippled the facility’s main control room and forced a complete shutdown of the country’s largest hydro plant.
Delivering the much-anticipated update, the minister expressed relief that the recovery process was ahead of schedule, with a second unit being synchronised just hours before his address.
“I am pleased to report that, through emergency technical interventions and sheer determination, the first generating unit was successfully restored yesterday.
This afternoon, I just received confirmation that the second unit has also been successfully synchronised, bringing the total to two units as I address you,” Mr Jinapor stated.
The restoration of the two units has added approximately 280 megawatts (MW) to the national grid.
The minister further announced that the third unit was expected to come on stream shortly, which would add another 140MW, indicating that all six units should be back in operation by the close of the week.
He said emergency technical teams had deployed innovative bypass technology to work around the scorched infrastructure to maintain the integrity of the national grid.
Fire
The fire, which occurred on April 23, 2026, and was fully extinguished by 7 p.m. with no casualties recorded, originated from a DC panel at the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) substation switchyard and escalated following an explosion in the switchover room.
The blaze destroyed the primary control room responsible for channelling electricity from the nation’s largest hydro plant, leaving over 1,000 megawatts of power stranded and forcing a full suspension of electricity exports.
The incident plunged several parts of the country into power uncertainty and prompted a nationwide audit of energy infrastructure.
A central theme of the minister’s briefing was the extraordinary contribution of engineers from the Volta River Authority (VRA) and GRIDCo, as he revealed that many specialists remained on the dam site for three continuous days under extreme conditions to bring the system back to life.
“On behalf of the government and the good people of Ghana, I wish to take this opportunity to commend and salute our engineers and technical teams who have remained on site, working tirelessly under extremely difficult conditions to restore the system to full operation,” Dr Jinapor said.
He added that “without equivocation”, he was “immensely proud” of their dedication and professionalism.
Acknowledging the hardship and frustration being faced by homes and businesses across the country, Dr Jinapor offered a blunt apology and a promise of transparency.
“I deeply empathise with you, and I share your frustration and discomfort in this trying moment.
We never saw it coming, we never anticipated, but we will rise above this,” he said.
Emphasising the government’s commitment to honesty, he added: “We will not shirk responsibility.
We will not deceive you.
We will not live in denial; when we face challenges, we will tell Ghanaians”.
Accountability
Turning to accountability, the minister announced that two separate investigations had been launched into the incident.
A seven-member technical committee, chaired by William Amuna, an engineer, has been charged with conducting an impartial and thorough probe and submitting its report within 14 days.
Parallel criminal investigations are also being carried out by security agencies to determine potential culpability.
In a related development, the Chief Executive of GRIDCo, Mark Awuah Baah, has been asked to step aside pending the outcome of the investigations.
Beyond the immediate crisis, the minister disclosed a nationwide Transformer Upgrade and Replacement Programme, with about 200 transformers already installed in April 2026 and another 140 expected this week.
High-capacity transformers are being deployed at key Bulk Supply Points at Adentan, Lashibi and Teshie-Nungua, with transmission reinforcement works in Kumasi slated for June.
“We are restoring what has been disrupted.
We are replacing what is no longer fit for purpose. And we are building a stronger, more resilient power system for the future,” Dr Jinapor said.
He appealed to the public to be patient as engineers raced to return the remaining units to full operation within the week.
The minister said with two units now fully synchronised and the focus shifting to the four remaining units, the Energy Ministry remained optimistic that the full 1,000-megawatt capacity of Akosombo would be restored shortly, to end the emergency load management.
