The Ministry of Energy and Green Transition has announced that full power restoration at the Akosombo Dam may take up to five days following a major fire at its substation switchyard on Thursday.

Ministry spokesperson Richmond Rockson informed journalists that while engineers initially estimated a five-day window for complete restoration, the Energy Minister has called for an accelerated, phased recovery.

Phased Restoration Timeline

The government is currently prioritising a 24-hour target to bring the first of the dam's six generating units back online.

“The briefing given by the engineers... was that they were looking at five days for the full restoration,” Rockson stated.

“The Honourable Minister asked them that... they should do 24 hours and ensure that the time for restoration is limited.”

Rockson clarified that the 24-hour goal applies only to a single unit.

However, officials are optimistic that successfully stabilizing the first unit could allow engineers to shorten the overall five-day timeline for the remaining plant.

Impact on the National Grid

The incident occurred on Thursday, April 23, 2026, at approximately 2:01 PM, according to the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo).

The fire gutted portions of the substation switchyard, leading to the following disruptions:

- Capacity Loss: Between 720 MW and 1,000 MW of transmission capacity was knocked offline.

- Emergency Measures: Engineers were forced to trigger emergency shutdowns and isolate sections of the national grid to prevent further damage.

- Infrastructure Damage: The fire affected a critical hub for Ghana’s electricity transmission.

Ongoing Investigations

A multi-agency probe involving the Energy Ministry and GRIDCo is currently underway to determine the exact cause of the fire. In the meantime, repair teams are working 24-hour shifts to stabilize the system and begin the phased reactivation of the generating units.