Energy Minister John Abdulai Jinapor says work on the temporary control system at the Akosombo Switchyard is expected to be completed next month, as he acknowledged that the emergency arrangement currently supporting the plant remains fragile.
His comments come amid renewed concerns over the stability of Ghana’s power system following another major electricity disturbance on August 20.
Speaking at the commissioning of a new office for the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Dr Jinapor traced the current vulnerability at Akosombo to the April fire that destroyed the switchyard control room.
“We had a major incident at Akosombo,” he said.
According to the Minister, engineers were confronted with two options after the incident.
“We had two options. Either to shut the plant down and build a control centre in its entirety, which meant that the plant would have been off for six months, or put in this temporary structure or temporary mechanism and restore the power,” he explained.
The government opted for the second option, allowing the generating units at Akosombo to return to service while work continued on a more reliable control arrangement.
But Dr Jinapor acknowledged that the decision came with risks.
“We restored the power, albeit knowing that it would be a bit fragile,” he said.
The temporary control room currently under construction is expected to be completed by the end of September 2026.
Dr Jinapor had earlier announced in May that the facility would be equipped with modern control systems, with government also pursuing plans for a permanent, ultra-modern control room at the Akosombo Switchyard.
The April 23 fire destroyed the existing switchyard control room and initially prevented power from the Akosombo Generating Station from being evacuated onto the national grid.
The latest disturbance has therefore renewed attention on the September deadline and whether completion of the temporary control facility will improve the resilience of the Akosombo transmission system.
