Parts of the Greater Accra Region will experience an emergency power outage lasting up to 15 hours on Sunday, 16 August 2026, while the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) replaces a damaged transmission tower at Ashaiman.
The interruption is scheduled to begin at 03:30 local time and continue until 18:00. GRIDCo said the outage is necessary to allow its engineers and technical teams to carry out the repair safely and restore the reliability of the affected transmission line.
The damaged structure is part of the 161kV Tema-Achimota transmission line. It was affected when a fuel tanker exploded during welding work on its tank inside the transmission line’s Right-of-Way (ROW).
GRIDCo apologised to customers in the affected areas and asked for their patience and cooperation while the emergency operation is under way.
The company said the work was required to replace the tower and protect the integrity of the transmission network. It did not provide a list of the specific communities that would be affected by the interruption.
Warning over transmission corridors
Alongside its outage announcement, GRIDCo issued a strong warning to individuals and businesses occupying legally protected transmission line corridors.
It said encroachment on those areas is prohibited under Ghanaian law, citing the Transmission Line Protection Regulations, 1967 (L.I. 542), as amended by L.I. 1737 of 2004.
The regulations prohibit a range of activities within the protected corridors, including unauthorised construction, excavation and drilling. They also cover commercial operations, lorry parks, shops, garages and any other activity that could obstruct the safe operation or maintenance of the transmission system.
GRIDCo said the warning also followed a directive from the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Dr John Abdulai Jinapor, issued during an inspection of ongoing works.
Under that directive, people and businesses operating within transmission line corridors across the country must stop their unauthorised activities and leave the affected areas within one month.
The instruction applies particularly to those who have built structures, set up businesses, parked heavy vehicles, carried out welding or excavation, or undertaken other industrial activities within the protected zones.
GRIDCo said that once the one-month deadline has passed, it will work with the relevant Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, statutory institutions and security agencies to enforce the law.
That enforcement will include removing unauthorised structures and activities from transmission line Rights-of-Way.
The company called on traditional authorities, landowners, businesses, local authorities and members of the public to cooperate by keeping transmission corridors clear.
It said maintaining open access to the corridors was essential for the safe operation, inspection and maintenance of the electricity transmission system, as demonstrated by the disruption caused by the damaged Ashaiman tower.
