The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor yesterday appeared under intense pressure as he addressed the media at Jubilee House over worsening power outages, popularly known as dumsor, following a major fire outbreak at the Akosombo Dam Power evacuation control centre.
With a subdued tone and restrained body language, the Minister sought to reassure Ghanaians that government was working urgently to restore supply and stabilise the national grid.
His briefing comes at a time many households, offices and businesses are reeling under erratic electricity supply, with some communities reportedly going without power for more than 12 hours in a single day.
Traders, manufacturers and cold-store operators have particularly complained of mounting losses.
Mr Jinapor described the Akosombo incident as one of the most serious disruptions in recent years, disclosing that more than 1,000 megawatts of power had been stranded after the fire, destroyed the primary control room at the GRIDCo switchyard.
According to him, the Control Room is the key hub through which power generated from the Akosombo Hydro Plant is transmitted into the national network.
“When you lose the Control Room, you cannot immediately evacuate power. That cripples a vital component of the transmission system,” he explained.
The Minister admitted the resulting deficit had caused widespread supply interruptions across several parts of the country.
Though insisting the crisis was temporary, the Minister’s demeanour reflected the seriousness of the situation as he detailed the scale of disruption and emergency measures underway.
He said government never anticipated such a setback at the country’s biggest hydro generation source. “We never saw this coming. It is challenging, but we will rise above it,” he stated.
Mr. Jinapor also expressed sympathy to affected consumers, saying government understood the frustration and discomfort being experienced nationwide.
Engineers Working Round the Clock
The Minister praised engineers and technical teams at Akosombo, revealing that some had remained on site continuously for three days under difficult conditions.
He announced that emergency interventions had restored the first generation unit, while a second unit had also resumed operations shortly before the briefing.
A third unit, he said, was undergoing final works and expected online soon, after which efforts would shift to restoring the remaining units.
“Your professionalism and commitment in the face of this challenge is commendable,” he said.
Mr. Jinapor said he had directed the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to provide regular updates on areas likely to be affected by temporary load management measures.
“We will not deceive Ghanaians. We will be honest and transparent. When we face challenges, we will say so and explain what we are doing to solve them,” he stressed.
He explained that because the situation remains fluid, ECG could not issue long-term schedules, but would instead publish short-term updates as restoration works continue.
Probe into Fire
The Minister further announced the formation of an independent technical committee chaired by veteran Engineer, William Amuna, to investigate the cause of the fire and submit a report within two weeks.Security agencies, he added, are also conducting a parallel investigation into possible negligence, sabotage or criminal conduct.
Beyond the Akosombo fire, Mr. Jinapor acknowledged that many outages across the country stem from obsolete transformers, overloaded systems and years of underinvestment in distribution infrastructure.
He noted that national electricity demand has more than doubled over the last decade, while network expansion failed to keep pace.
To address the problem, government has launched a nationwide transformer replacement programme. Nearly 200 transformers have already been installed this month, with another 140 expected this week.
In all, government plans to deploy 2,500 transformers nationwide to improve supply reliability and voltage stability.High-capacity transformers have already been installed at Adenta, Lashibi and Teshie-Nungua, while Kumasi is expected to benefit from further upgrades before the end of the week.
Assurance amid Pressure
Despite the visible strain, Mr. Jinapor insisted the present crisis was temporary and not the result of policy failure.
“We are restoring what has been disrupted. We are replacing what is no longer fit for purpose. We are determined to build a stronger and more resilient power system,” he said.
He assured Ghanaians that government would work around the clock to restore normal supply.
“This experience is transient. We shall overcome it,” the Minister added.
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