1,000MW Knocked Off Grid After Akosombo Substation Explosion; Energy Minister Says Restoration Underway

1,000MW Knocked Off Grid After Akosombo Substation Explosion; Energy Minister Says Restoration Underway

Akosombo, April 26, 2026_ —

The Ministry of Energy and Green Transition says efforts have been intensified to restore power following an explosion and fire outbreak at the Ghana Grid Company’s (GRIDCo) Akosombo Substation, which has taken about *1,000 megawatts* of electricity supply off the national grid.

 

Mr. John Abdulai Jinapor, Minister for Energy and Green Transition, disclosed this while addressing the media after inspecting the site on Friday.

 

“Engineers are working around the clock to restore supply through alternative arrangements,” Mr. Jinapor said. He did not give a definitive timeline for full restoration but assured the public that contingency measures were being deployed to minimize outages.

 

The Akosombo Substation is a critical node in GRIDCo’s transmission network, linking power from the Akosombo and Kpong hydro dams and other plants to the rest of the country. The loss of 1,000MW represents over *20% of Ghana’s peak demand*, explaining the widespread outages reported across several regions.

 

The incident comes hours after the Minister directed the *CEO of GRIDCo to step aside* pending investigations into the fire. A *major shake-up in ECG’s Ashanti Region leadership* was also announced as government moves to address public anger over erratic power supply, known as _dumsor_.

 

GRIDCo has not yet released a technical report on the cause of the explosion. Sources indicate the fire affected control panels and switchgear at the substation.