The Government of Ghana has directed thermal power plants to operate at maximum capacity to compensate for a significant electricity shortfall triggered by Thursday’s substation fire at the Akosombo Dam.

Richmond Rockson, spokesperson for the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition, confirmed the strategy during a briefing on Friday, April 24.

He assured the public that the country maintains sufficient reserves of natural gas and liquid fuel to sustain increased thermal generation while the hydro facility undergoes repairs.

The decision follows a major fire at the Akosombo substation switchyard that disrupted between 720 and 1,000 megawatts of transmission capacity.

This loss represents a critical portion of the national grid, forcing authorities to rely more heavily on thermal sources to maintain stability and prevent widespread blackouts.

Under standard operating conditions, thermal plants provide approximately 70 percent of Ghana's electricity, with hydroelectric sources like Akosombo contributing about 20 percent.

With the dam's output currently restricted, thermal generation will temporarily carry a larger share of the national load.

Parallel to the increased thermal production, engineers at the Akosombo site are working toward a 24-hour target to reactivate the first of six generating units.

Once the initial unit is stable, a phased recovery will be applied to the rest of the facility.

The Ministry of Energy and the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) have launched a joint investigation to determine the cause of the fire as emergency restoration efforts continue at the dam.