The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, has attributed the recent wave of load shedding to a major fire at the Akosombo Dam and to longstanding technical challenges in the power distribution system.
Addressing the Government Accountability Series on Monday, the Minister assured Ghanaians that despite the current disruptions, the power sector remains on a strong and progressive trajectory.
Detailing the immediate cause of the outages, the Minister described the Akosombo fire as one of the most severe disruptions in Ghana’s energy history.
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“The fire severely damaged the control room responsible for power evacuation, leaving over 1,000 megawatts of power stranded,” he explained.
He emphasized that although other plants remain operational, the loss of Akosombo’s control system has created a major supply gap.
Dr. Jinapor commended engineers working tirelessly to restore operations.
“Some of them have stayed on site for three continuous days under extreme conditions,” he said.
He confirmed that two generation units have been restored, while a third unit is being brought on stream.
“Through emergency technical interventions and sheer determination, we are making steady progress,” he assured.
The Minister explained that a consistent load shedding timetable has not been released because the situation is fluid and improving by the hour; therefore, a fixed weekly schedule cannot be published.
However, he assured that the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) will provide regular updates to affected areas.
“We will not shy away from responsibility. We will be honest and transparent with Ghanaians,” he stressed.
Dr. Jinapor disclosed that upon assuming office, the government inherited a significant power deficit that threatened national productivity.
According to him, comprehensive structural reforms have since been implemented across the energy value chain—from generation to transmission and distribution—leading to a period of relative stability in recent months.
The Minister highlighted key gains, including increased gas supply and improved performance of Independent Power Producers (IPPs).
“We increased gas supply from Jubilee and other sources, stabilized fuel availability, and restored discipline in the distribution sector,” he noted.
He revealed that the government has paid over $1.4 billion in energy-sector debt, restored a $500 million World Bank partial risk guarantee, and reduced inefficiencies at the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
“Whilst ECG spent about GH¢9.3 billion in 2024, this year spending has reduced significantly through efficiency,” he added.
Beyond the Akosombo incident, the Minister pointed to obsolete and overloaded transformers as a key challenge.
“In about 10 years, demand has more than doubled, but investment has not kept pace,” he noted.
To address this, the government, he said, has launched a nationwide upgrade programme, installing 200 transformers this month, with 140 more to be deployed this week, and a target of 2,500 transformers nationwide.
Meanwhile, a technical committee chaired by engineer William Amuna has been set up to investigate the incident, with a report expected within two weeks. Security agencies are also conducting parallel investigations into possible criminal causes.
Dr. Jinapor reassured the public that the current outages are temporary and not due to policy failure.