PressBridge

Engineers have begun a phased effort to restore power generation at the Akosombo Hydroelectric Dam following a fire that damaged part of the facility’s substation switchyard, severely disrupting electricity transmission and impacting the national grid.

Officials say at least one generating unit is expected to be back online within 24 hours. The fire affected infrastructure capable of transmitting roughly 720 megawatts—about 70 percent of the dam’s transmission capacity—marking a significant setback to power supply.

According to energy authorities, engineers are targeting the recovery of up to 1,000 megawatts in the initial phase, a development considered critical to stabilizing the system. Fortunately, the blaze did not reach the main switchboard area, which is expected to accelerate restoration efforts.

The incident occurred around 2:01 p.m. on Thursday, April 23. Emergency response teams were promptly deployed to contain the fire and assess the extent of the damage. The disruption forced a temporary shutdown of operations at the facility, affecting electricity distribution nationwide.

Restoration will proceed incrementally. Once the first of the dam’s six generating units is successfully restarted, the same process will be applied to bring the remaining units back online.

As a precaution, all operational units were shut down later that evening to safeguard both personnel and equipment. While no exact timeline has been provided for full restoration, authorities indicate that progress will continue steadily following the initial recovery phase.