ASEC calls on GRIDCo to publish full report on recent power outages

The Africa Sustainable Energy Centre (ASEC) has urged the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) to release a thorough technical report on the recent power outages and system disturbances that have affected various regions of the country. In a statement issued on August 21, ASEC emphasized that informing the public about the causes of these incidents and the measures being taken to prevent future occurrences is crucial.

While GRIDCo has acknowledged that the latest disturbance was due to a fault on the Akosombo-Volta transmission line, ASEC argues that the investigation should extend beyond the immediate fault to include broader factors that may have contributed to the disruption. ASEC is requesting that GRIDCo, along with relevant stakeholders, publish a comprehensive post-incident report detailing the immediate, underlying, and systemic causes of the disturbance, clearly distinguishing between the initial fault, subsequent equipment trips, any cascading events, and any weaknesses that may have exacerbated the outage.

The organization also seeks information on the performance of the power system's protection mechanisms during the incident, including whether they functioned as designed, experienced delayed or unexpected trips, and were properly coordinated. ASEC calls for specific measures to prevent similar incidents, such as improvements in transmission infrastructure, protection systems, and monitoring and control systems, as well as a review of maintenance practices and operational procedures.

Additionally, ASEC emphasizes the need for Ghana to prioritize the resilience and redundancy of critical parts of the national grid, and for GRIDCo to demonstrate available alternative transmission routes that can prevent a single fault from escalating into a widespread power disturbance. The organization further urges GRIDCo to establish a clear recovery and rollback plan for activating during similar incidents, outlining restoration procedures, decision-making points, responsibilities, and communication arrangements to ensure a safe and efficient restoration of power while minimizing the impact of future disruptions.

ASEC stresses the importance of shifting Ghana's power system management from a reactive approach to a predictive, preventive, and resilience-based grid management. The organization warns that repeated system disturbances could erode public confidence in the power sector, disrupt businesses, and impose significant costs on households and industry.

ASEC recommends that GRIDCo enhance the use of real-time monitoring and advanced data analysis to identify vulnerabilities in the transmission system before they lead to major outages, and calls for greater use of predictive maintenance, automated fault detection, and system-wide contingency analysis. The organization acknowledges the complexity of managing Ghana's interconnected transmission system but commends the efforts of engineers and technical personnel in restoring electricity during outages.

However, ASEC argues that technical challenges should not hinder the public's right to receive information about major disruptions, emphasizing the need for accountability and learning from past incidents. ASEC urges GRIDCo to release the findings of its technical investigation and provide a timeline for implementing the corrective measures identified, stressing that Ghana needs a resilient grid that prevents disturbances from escalating into crises.