Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, has disclosed that the recent fire outbreak at the Akosombo Dam destroyed a critical control room, severely disrupting electricity supply across the country.

Speaking during the Government Accountability Series on Monday, April 27, the Minister explained that the incident affected a key component of the system responsible for transmitting electricity from generation plants to the national grid.

“The fire incident severely damaged the control room responsible for power evacuation,” he stated.

He described the incident as one of the most serious setbacks Ghana’s power sector has experienced in recent times.

“This incident represents one of the most serious and unprecedented disruptions ever experienced in Ghana’s power sector,” he said.

Explaining the technical process, he noted that electricity generated from hydro and thermal plants must first pass through the control room before being transmitted for distribution.

“When they generate the power… it has to go to the control room first. Then the control room takes the power through the switch yard and distributes it,” he explained.

According to him, the damage has made it impossible to transmit power as required.

“When you lose the control room, it means that on the spur of the moment, you cannot evacuate any power,” he said.

He added that the disruption has resulted in a significant amount of stranded electricity.

“It is crippling a critical component of the transmission system, leaving over 1,000 megawatts of power stranded at Akosombo,” he stated.

Although other generation plants continue to operate, he acknowledged that the loss of Akosombo has created a major supply shortfall.

“Despite the loss of Akosombo, all the other plants have been running, but it leaves a major deficit,” he said.

The Minister further noted that the situation has led to supply disruptions in parts of the country, affecting households and businesses.

“Obviously, with such an unfortunate situation… it results in supply disruption across parts of the country,” he said.

He assured Ghanaians that restoring stable electricity remains the government’s top priority.

“My foremost desire and objective is to ensure that every Ghanaian… enjoys a stable, reliable, uninterrupted power supply,” he said.

Mr Jinapor also expressed sympathy to affected consumers, acknowledging the inconvenience caused.

“I wish to assure you that I deeply empathise with you and I share your frustration and discomfort in this trying moment,” he said.

He admitted that the incident was unexpected and unprecedented.

“We never anticipated this, we never saw it coming. We’ve never witnessed it,” he stated, adding that the country would overcome the challenge.

“It’s challenging, but we would rise above this challenge,” he said.

He further revealed that engineers have been working continuously on-site to restore the system, with some remaining at the facility for several days without interruption.

“Our engineers have remained on site… some of them have stayed there for three continuous days without leaving, working around the clock under very difficult conditions,” he revealed.