The Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) has announced the full restoration of power supply following a system disturbance that occurred on Thursday, April 3, 2025.

In an official press release signed by Dzifa Bampoh, Manager of Corporate Communications at GRIDCo, the company detailed the timeline of the incident, the areas affected, and the steps taken to stabilize and restore the system.

“Areas affected included some parts of Accra, Kumasi, Sunyani, Techiman, Bui, Tumu, Sawla and other parts of Northen Ghana.
“The incident occurred at 20:09 hrs. on Thursday night when the Tafo-Nkawkaw transmission line tripped due to a fault.”
Dzifa Bampoh, Manager of Corporate Communications at GRIDCo

This triggered a cascade of disturbances, causing adjacent lines to trip and resulting in the loss of some power plants, including Bui Power Plant, Anwomaso Thermal, Karpower, TICO, and some units at AKSA.

The power outage extended beyond Kumasi, affecting northern Ghana and leaving thousands in darkness.

GRIDCo’s System Control Centre (SCC) responded swiftly to stabilize the power system and initiated restoration efforts to mitigate the impact of the disturbance.

According to GRIDCo, power was fully restored by 22:57 hrs. “We sincerely apologize to the general public for the inconvenience caused by this incident,” stated Dzifa Bampoh.

The Tafo-Nkawkaw line is a key component of the country’s power transmission network, linking central and northern parts of Ghana.

A fault on such a line can have ripple effects across the grid, especially when other power generation units are already operating under strain.

GRIDCo is responsible for the dispatching and transmission of electricity from Independent Power Producers (IPPs) to bulk customers and distribution utilities across Ghana and parts of West Africa.

The company transmits electricity to 33 Bulk Customers and Distribution Utilities sourced from 11 Wholesale Suppliers.

Government’s Intervention

John Abdulai Jinapor, Minister of Energy and Green Transition

The issue gained national attention as the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Hon. John Abdulai Jinapor, took to Facebook to address public concerns.

The Minister explained, “At 20:09 hrs, the Tafo-Nkawkaw transmission line tripped due to a fault, causing low voltages on the transmission network.”

“At 20:17 hrs, while efforts were in progress to restore the Tafo-Nkawkaw line, other adjacent lines tripped, leading to system frequency decay to 49.0 Hz.
“This caused a shutdown of key power plants such as Bui Power, Anwomaso Thermal, Karpower, TICO, and some units at AKSA.”
Hon. John Abdulai Jinapor, Minister for Energy and Green Transition

To correct system frequency, SCC dispatchers acted swiftly, taking off some load at Mallam and Kumasi for load relief.

As of late Thursday night, major power plants had resumed operation.

Karpower restarted its plant, restoring power supply to Sunyani, Techiman, Bui, Tumu, and Sawla. Additionally, Bui Power Plant was in the process of restarting its units.

“The remaining northern regions will receive power as soon as Bui Power and Anwomaso Thermal units are fully restored.”
Hon. John Abdulai Jinapor, Minister for Energy and Green Transition

The recent power disturbance has sparked concerns about the reliability of Ghana’s transmission network. Many citizens have taken to social media, calling for system upgrades and enhanced maintenance protocols to prevent future outages.

Experts in the energy sector stress that investment in modern grid infrastructure and real-time monitoring technologies could significantly reduce disruptions and improve supply stability.

With the Minister for Energy and Green Transition actively monitoring progress, stakeholders remain hopeful that preventive measures will be enforced to strengthen Ghana’s electricity transmission system.

In the meantime, GRIDCo pledged to conduct a full technical review of the April 3 incident and make recommendations to prevent a recurrence.

While the power outage caused significant inconvenience, the swift response from GRIDCo and SCC ensured efficient restoration of supply within hours.

The incident serves as a reminder of the need for continuous investment in transmission system resilience, reinforcing the importance of collaboration between GRIDCo, government, and independent power producers.