Accra’s Ashaiman Residents Face 15-Hour Power Blackout in 2024

Ashaiman, Accra to Suffer 15-Hour Power Blackout

Parts of the Greater Accra Region will be without electricity for 15 hours on Sunday, August 16, 2026, as emergency repairs are carried out on a damaged transmission tower at Ashaiman. The planned interruption is scheduled from 3:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

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Emergency Repairs Underway

GRIDCo engineers are working to replace the damaged tower on the 161kV Tema–Achimota transmission line. 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.

Safety Concerns Raised

GRIDCo has expressed concerns about unauthorised activities within transmission line corridors. The company said activities carried out within the Right-of-Way could endanger lives, damage critical infrastructure, and undermine the reliability of the country's power transmission network.

Call for Compliance

GRIDCo has urged traditional authorities, landowners, businesses, local authorities, and members of the public to help keep transmission corridors free from encroachment. The company stressed that the Rights-of-Way were protected infrastructure zones and were not intended for unrestricted occupation or commercial activities.

Directive to be Enforced

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

Awaiting Restoration

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

Source: JOY