Ghana’s largest hydroelectric power plant, the Akosombo Generation Station, operated by the Volta River Authority, has partially restored power generation to the national grid following a fire incident on Thursday, April 23, 2026, at the switchyard of the Ghana Grid Company Limited substation in Akosombo.
The fire forced an emergency shutdown of the plant, which generates about 1,020MW for the national grid, disrupting power supply in many parts of the country.
Checks by this portal revealed that the Akosombo Generation Station produced 84MW at about 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 26, 2026, increasing to 133MW by 10:00 p.m. the same day. However, as of Monday morning, output had dropped to 86MW.
The Akosombo Dam has six units, each with a capacity of 170MW, while the Kpong Generation Station generates about 160MW, bringing the total hydropower capacity of the Volta River Authority to 1,180MW.
According to a system load document sighted by this portal, the Kpong Generation Station has reduced generation from about 137MW to between 30MW and 36MW as of Monday, April 27, 2026.
The current power situation has triggered widespread complaints among sections of Ghanaians, particularly businesses that rely on the national grid daily.
Thursday’s incident forced the Energy Minister, John Abdulai Jinapor, who was in the northern part of the country, to return to Accra and visit Akosombo to assess the extent of damage.
During the visit, the minister announced that a seven-member committee, chaired by William Amuna, current Board Chairman of Electricity Company of Ghana, will investigate the incident.
According to the minister, the fire is unusual and requires a thorough probe to uncover its root cause.
“The damage is quite extensive. It’s quite serious. From the briefing I received, there was a significant situation that we need to get to the bottom of,” he said.
He added that the committee is expected to present its findings within two to three weeks.
“We expect that within two to three weeks, they should be ready with a report so that we can determine the root cause of this challenge and all the issues surrounding this unfortunate incident,” he said.
On Sunday, the Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, revealed that the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Grid Company Limited, Mark Awuah Baah, had been asked to step aside pending investigations into the fire.
The Energy Minister is expected to address the nation at about 2:00 p.m. today.
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