The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has told Ghanaians calling for a load shedding timetable that it is too early.
According to the ECG, the recent power disruptions are due to the fire outbreak at the Akosombo GRIDCO substation.
He explained that engineers are working to restore the full electricity supply.
Speaking on Channel One Newsroom on Sunday, April 26, Dr Charles Nii Ayiku Ayiku, ECG’s General Manager for External Relations, explained, “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”.
“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,” he stated.
Dr Charles Nii Ayiku Ayiku added, “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?”
“The engineers have assured us that very soon we are getting 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 said.
“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,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition, spokesperson, Richmond Rockson, has revealed that the Akosombo Dam has been completely shut down.
According to Richmond Rockson, the development follows the fire outbreak at the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) substation at Akosombo.
John Abdulai Jinapor highlighted that the fire caused massive damage to critical infrastructure at the substation, explaining that the mage disrupted operations and forced authorities to temporarily shut down the Akosombo Dam.
Speaking in an interview with Bernard Avle on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, April 27, the Energy Ministry spokesperson, Richmond Rockson, explained, “The switch yard, which is at the Akosombo Substation, is completely burnt down and it is not salvageable. The primary control room for the switch yard is completely gone. It was even difficult for us to walk there when we got there to assess the situation.
“And when that happened, we had to shut the Akosombo Dam completely, and so that is what caused the outages in many parts of the country as we are seeing. Because Akosombo is a major component when it comes to our power generation.”
On Thursday, April 23, the fire incident reportedly occurred at 2:01 p.m. when the substation, a vital installation within Ghana’s electricity transmission network, was suddenly engulfed by flames.
Also, Richmond Rockson has announced that Ghana has lost 1,000MW of power generation due to a fire outage at the Akosombo Dam.
In a post he wrote, “We have lost over 1,000MW of power generation due to a fire outage, which has led to the shutdown of the Akosombo Dam. Engineers are actively working to restore the power supply as quickly as possible.
Please bear with us as we work through this situation. We appreciate your patience and understanding”.