Kofi Ahovi

  Ghana has been plunged into widespread power disruptions following the complete shutdown of the Akosombo Dam after a devastating fire destroyed key infrastructure at the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) substation at Akosombo. The Ministry of Energy confirmed that the blaze caused extensive damage to the dam’s critical switchyard system, forcing authorities to halt operations entirely — a move that has significantly affected electricity supply across the country. Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, April 27, the Ministry’s spokesperson, Richmond Rockson, described the scale of destruction as severe and unprecedented. The switchyard at the Akosombo Substation is completely burnt down and not salvageable. The primary control room is gone. It was even difficult for us to access the site when we went to assess the situation,” he said. He explained that the damage to the switching system — a critical component for transmitting power from the dam — made it impossible to continue ...

 The Ghana Grid Company Ltd (GRIDCo) has assured the public of measures to prevent power outages, commonly known as “dumsor,” during the rescheduled maintenance by the West Africa Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo). The maintenance, which began on February 5, is expected to conclude on March 2, 2025. In a joint statement, GRIDCo and the Electricity Company of Ghana Ltd (ECG) confirmed that, under the leadership of the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition, substantial volumes of liquid fuel have been secured to power key plants in Tema as an alternative energy source. Speaking to Citi Business News, Nana Amoasi VII, Executive Director of the Institute of Energy Security (IES), commended the government’s proactive steps in securing liquid fuel reserves to sustain electricity supply. The postponement of the maintenance programme gives the government ample time to build up liquid fuel reserves. If the exercise proceeds and national gas flow to power plants in the Eastern enclave is disrup...

  The government urgently needs nearly $90 million to avert a looming power crisis caused by insufficient fuel supplies for thermal plants, according to a report by the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo). The GRIDCo report outlines that the funds are required to procure liquid fuel, such as light crude oil, to operate thermal plants in Tema and meet growing electricity demand. The crisis stems from a generation capacity deficit following a pigging exercise conducted by the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCO), which temporarily disrupted natural gas supply. The GRIDCo report details key strategies to mitigate the impact of the fuel shortage and maintain grid stability: Rescheduling Planned Maintenance:  Revising the schedules for generator shutdowns to avoid overlaps with the WAPCO maintenance period. Securing Alternative Fuels:  Procuring sufficient quantities of light crude oil or other liquid fuels to substitute natural gas for thermal power generation. Load Management M...

  Ghana’s power sector entities, GRIDCo and ECG, have jointly addressed the public regarding disruptions to power supply caused by ongoing maintenance activities on the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP). This follows the West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo) announcing the cleaning and inspection of a 56-kilometre onshore pipeline section between Itoki and Badagry in Nigeria—a crucial part of the West African Gas Pipeline—which has been progressing steadily. However, the process revealed unexpected complications. During the cleaning exercise, a larger-than-expected volume of liquids and debris was received at the Lagos Beach Compressor Station,” WAPCo stated. These findings caused operational disturbances, necessitating a temporary shutdown of Ghana's Tema Regulatory & Metering Station. The company emphasised that the shutdown was essential for safety and further investigations. The impact of WAPCo’s operational challenges has extended to Ghana’s power supply. Accord...

  The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) has signed an agreement to extend a $60 million loan to the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo). This is to help finance GRIDCo’s expansion plan of installing and upgrading transmission lines in Ghana. The agreement was signed last Tuesday at the head office of the Bank in Lome. While the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of EBID, Dr George Agyekum Donkor, signed on behalf of the bank, the Chief Executive Officer of GRIDCo, Ebenezer Kofi Essienyi, signed on behalf of Ghana’s power transmission company. Present at the ceremony were the Board Chairman of GRIDCo, Kabral Blay-Amihere, Ghana’s Ambassador to Togo, Kofi Demetia, executives from C-Nergy Ghana, and the Managing Director of Calbank PLC, Philip Owiredu. Dr Donkor, in a brief remark, described the expansion of electricity infrastructure in the sub-region as a key sector that must be given the necessary attention, hence the decision of the bank to offer supp...

 The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) has agreed to cooperate with Uganda to develop the technical competence in the management of that country’s power transmission network to enable it to deliver sustainable and reliable power to its citizens. Uganda has reached out to GRIDCo to seek an insight into the progress made over the years in the power transmission business to enable it to benchmark its operations in the areas of commercialisation of communication assets, particularly optic fibre and other data products. An eight-member delegation from that country led by the Chairman of the Ugandan Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL), Kwame Ejalu Ejuku, will for the next three days hold discussions with GRIDCo and other power sector players on project implementation in the face of challenges, capacity building among others. GRIDCo, on the other hand, is expected to enhance the technical capacity of the visiting team by sharing knowledge and best practices on transmission ...

The Institute of Energy Security (IES) has noted that aside the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), the indebtedness of the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo), the Volta Aluminum Company (VALCO) and some mining companies to the Ghana Grid Company Limited ( GRIDCo ), coupled with the depreciation of the Ghana cedi, contributes to the financial woes of the GRIDCo. The debts owed by these companies to the GRIDCo is rising to unprecedented levels, and may likely render GRIDCo incapable of executing its critical projects that would make the national transmission system robust and improve reliability of power supply, the IES said . Adding that it could negatively influence the day-to-day operations of the company, and could lead to the stalling of the many key projects undertaking by the company to improve on operations and efficiency, if not checked. The increase debts that translate into financial constraints may also make it difficult for the transmitter to meet its financ...