The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) has reported that the widespread power outage on Thursday morning was caused by a significant fault on the Akosombo–Volta transmission line, which led to the automatic shutdown of the Akosombo generating units and several thermal plants.
GRIDCo explained that this shutdown was a part of the protective measures within the national power system, aimed at maintaining the stability and integrity of the National Interconnected Transmission System.
In a statement, it noted: “Immediately after the incident, GRIDCo engineers, in close collaboration with other power sector agencies, took measures to isolate the affected transmission line and initiated the safe and systematic restoration of the power system.”
Numerous regions in Ghana experienced power outages starting around 4:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 20, 2026, affecting households, businesses, and essential services.
In Accra, the affected communities included Adabraka, Weija, Tesano, Achimota, Dzorwulu, Legon, Madina, Adenta, and Oyarifa, with residents reporting outages since early morning.
The disruption also extended to parts of the Eastern, Northern, Central, and Ashanti regions, including Aburi and Tamale.
However, GRIDCo has indicated that electricity has already been restored to some of the affected areas, with ongoing efforts to restore power to the remaining customers.
“GRIDCo regrets the inconvenience caused by this temporary outage and assures the public that all relevant technical teams have been fully mobilized and are working diligently to achieve complete restoration of the power system,” the statement further added.
This incident marks the second significant disruption to Ghana’s national power system within a month.
On July 29, 2026, various regions, including communities in Accra, Tema, Kasoa, and parts of the Ashanti and Eastern regions, also faced a widespread power outage.
The recurrence of these outages is likely to raise concerns regarding the stability of the national power grid and the reliability of electricity supply.
GRIDCo is anticipated to offer additional updates regarding the situation.
