President John Dramani Mahama has described the recent fire outbreak at the Akosombo power enclave as an opportunity to upgrade critical infrastructure, following disruptions that led to renewed power outages across the country.
The President made the remarks on Thursday, April 30, during a visit to the Akosombo Dam to assess the extent of damage caused by the incident, which affected a substation operated by the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo).
The fire destroyed key equipment and resulted in the loss of over 1,000 megawatts of power from the national grid, triggering intermittent electricity supply in several parts of the country.
Addressing engineers and officials at the site, President Mahama said the incident, though unfortunate, offers a chance to rebuild and modernise existing systems.
“This presents an opportunity because now that this adversity has happened, it gives us the chance to replace the damaged facility with a more modern control room that will serve the Akosombo Plant for generations to come,” he stated.
He also commended engineers and technical teams for their swift response in restoring operations, noting that progress has already been made in stabilising power generation.
“You have four of the turbines back on, and I am hopeful we will soon receive good news about the remaining two turbines coming back online,” he added.
President Mahama reaffirmed government’s commitment to supporting key institutions in the energy sector, describing both GRIDCo and the Volta River Authority (VRA) as vital to the country’s power supply system.
“VRA will continue to be one of the foremost state-owned enterprises, and government will provide the necessary support to ensure its effectiveness,” he said.
Meanwhile, Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor, confirmed that four generation units at the dam have been restored, with the remaining units expected to be operational within the week.
