Accra Residents Bracing for 15-Hour Power Blackout on Sunday

Accra to Suffer 15-Hour Power Blackout Sunday

Emergency Repairs to Hit Greater Accra Region

Parts of the Greater Accra Region will be without electricity for 15 hours on Sunday, August 16, 2026, as the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) carries out emergency repairs on a damaged transmission tower at Ashaiman.

The planned interruption, scheduled from 3:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., is to enable GRIDCo engineers to safely replace the damaged tower on the 161kV Tema–Achimota transmission line.

Tower Damaged in Fuel Tanker Explosion

The tower, located at Ashaiman Middle East, was damaged after a fuel tanker exploded while welding work was being carried out on its tank within the Right-of-Way (RoW) of the transmission line.

GRIDCo said the emergency works were necessary to restore the structural integrity of the tower and ensure the continued reliability of the transmission line.

GRIDCo Warns Against Unauthorised Activities

GRIDCo apologised to customers who would be affected by the outage and appealed to them to exercise patience and cooperate with the restoration exercise.

The company also renewed its concerns about unauthorised activities within transmission line corridors, citing the Transmission Line Protection Regulations, 1967 (L.I. 542), as amended by L.I. 1737 of 2004, which restrict activities within protected transmission corridors.

Among the prohibited activities are unauthorised construction, excavation, and drilling, as well as the operation of shops, garages, lorry parks, and other commercial activities that could interfere with transmission infrastructure.

Call to Action from GRIDCo

GRIDCo also referred to a directive issued by the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Dr John Abdulai Jinapor, directing persons, businesses, land users, and other entities occupying transmission line Rights-of-Way unlawfully to stop such activities and vacate the affected areas within one month.

The directive covers structures and commercial activities, including heavy vehicle parking, welding, and excavation within protected transmission corridors.

GRIDCo urged traditional authorities, landowners, businesses, local authorities, and members of the public to help keep transmission corridors free from encroachment.

What Happens Next

GRIDCo will work with Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies, statutory institutions, and security agencies to enforce the directive after the one-month compliance period.

Unauthorised structures and activities within the affected corridors could consequently be removed, while persons who fail to comply could face enforcement action under the law.

Residents in the affected areas are advised to make necessary arrangements for the duration of the power outage, which is expected to affect their daily lives.

Source: JOY