IES raises alarm over three nationwide blackouts in less than a month

The Institute for Energy Security (IES) has expressed growing concern over three nationwide blackouts that have plagued Ghana within a span of less than a month. The latest power outage took place on Thursday, August 20, 2026, around 4:30 a.m., following a significant fault on the Akosombo-Volta transmission line, according to the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo).

The IES characterized the recurring power outages as "a cause for worry" and implored GRIDCo to conduct an urgent technical evaluation of the incident and disclose its findings to the public.

Notably, Ghana had already faced a nationwide blackout on July 29 after several generating plants unexpectedly shut down across the national power system. Despite GRIDCo's subsequent commitment to investigate the root cause of the disturbance and propose corrective measures, the IES noted that no report on this investigation had been made public three weeks subsequent to the July outage.

The IES highlighted the heightened unease surrounding the reliability and resilience of the national grid, especially considering the persistent escalation in electricity demand.

The energy watchdog urged GRIDCo to expedite efforts to fully restore power to all affected regions while concurrently conducting a thorough technical examination of the latest incident. Furthermore, the IES called for transparent communication regarding the challenges plaguing the national power system to ensure public awareness and informed discourse.

The Institute stressed that GRIDCo must provide comprehensive and transparent disclosures to the public concerning the challenges confronting the national power system to maintain proper public information.

The IES also advocated for immediate short-term measures to safeguard the stability of the national grid, in tandem with long-term investments aimed at fortifying the resilience of the power system. The repeated blackouts have reignited public scrutiny over the reliability of Ghana's power supply, with some consumers expressing their frustration over the persistent recurrence of widespread power interruptions.