Ghana could face intermittent power outages between Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25 if electricity demand outstrips current generation capacity, authorities have warned.
The caution comes in the wake of a disruption to the national grid following a fire outbreak at the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) substation in Akosombo in the Eastern Region.
The incident, which occurred at about 2:01 p.m. on Thursday, April 23, affected critical transmission operations and triggered supply challenges in parts of the country.
Efforts are underway to stabilise the system, with engineers working continuously to restore damaged infrastructure. However, officials say the stability of supply in the short term will depend heavily on real-time demand levels, particularly during peak hours.
“I will not be able to say at the moment the exact amount we have in the system because we are currently generating, and I am yet to receive a report on the demand as of this evening. So, when the demand this evening far exceeds what we are generating, that is when the need for some outages arises,” he said.
The Deputy Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Richard Gyan-Mensah, explained on Citi FM on Friday, April 24 that while generation is ongoing, the margin between supply and demand remains uncertain, making outages a possibility if consumption spikes.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, has assured the public that engineers are operating on a 24-hour shift system to repair the damaged substation and restore full stability to the power network as quickly as possible.
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