Africa > West Africa > Ghana > Ghana's Akosombo Dam Faces Shutdown

Ghana: Ghana's Akosombo Dam Faces Shutdown

2015/12/15

The easing electricity crisis in the country may relapse as the Akosombo Hydro generating plant faces a possible shutdown due to a drastic drop in the water level.

Water levels in the Volta Lake which supplies the dam keep falling drastically due to the harmattan season. As of Friday, December 11, the water level in the dam stood at 243.55 feet and a further drop of 3.55 feet will mean a total shutdown of the plant.

The minimum operating water level for the dam is 240ft, and at this level, authorities are required to shut the turbines to save the plant, TV3's Odelia Ntiamoah Boampong reports.

A shutdown of the turbines could compound the electricity crisis which Ghanaians have been looking forward to it to relieve, particularly as they prepare for Christmas.

Meanwhile, the Power Minister, Dr Kwabena Donkor has assured Ghanaians the current load shedding would be over by the end of December due to the various interventions on the ground but a lot of Ghanaians doubt that could happen.

The Dam experienced its maximum water levels of 276.41 on November 2, 1974, and the lowest water level ever recorded was 235.76ft June 12, 1984. The Akosombo dam has been a major source of electricity power for the country over the last four decades.

Ghana's generation mix presently has 52 % hydro, 36 % thermal and 0.1 % solar. Independent Power Producers generate 12 % of thermal power.

Related Articles
  • Ghana steps up to secure electricity supply

    2016/06/19 The start of new gas production in Ghana has significantly improved the prospects for long-term increase in the country, although efforts to exploit domestic reserves for local power generation faced a minor setback before this year. While Ghana’s hydrocarbons sector has seen relatively stable output over the initial few months of 2016, a two-week period of inspection and maintenance work on the Kwame Nkrumah, a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, led to a temporary drop in gas supply to the power sector. The shutdown slowed gas supply to the Volta River Authority’s (VRA) thermal generating facilities in Aboadze, reducing output by 250 MW, according to local media.
  • Ghana increases spending on transport infrastructure

    2016/06/18 Moves by Ghana to expand port capacity are helping to reduce processing times and costs, although congested intermodal connections still limit throughput. Further spending to reinforce connectivity in road and rail networks will be necessary for Ghana to significantly increase its shipping capacity, but infrastructure upgrades and regulatory reforms are nonetheless helping to improve in general efficiency. Maritime development Currently, almost $2bn worth of investment is being put toward upgrading Ghana’s two major ports: Tema and Takoradi.
  • Routes Africa forum aims to improve African air connectivity

    2016/05/15  An event dedicated to the development of the African aviation industry will take place next month in Tenerife (26-28 June) to encourage the launch of new air services to, from and within the African continent. Routes Africa 2016 will help to improve African connectivity by bringing together airlines, airports and tourism authorities to discuss next air services. Around 250 route development professionals are expected to attend the forum which was founded ten years ago to stimulate increase in the industry.
  • While Europe is on the verge of breaking up, Africa is reaping the benefits of integrating, growing and developing its trading blocks

    2016/05/13 The collapse of virtual borders is one of the majority remarkable things to have happened in our lifetimes. In the world of cyberspace, time and distance have become almost peripheral considerations at the same time as it comes to doing business. Services from software development to accounting can be delivered across the world in the blink of an eye. Next business leaders will struggle to imagine an era at the same time as communication was neither immediate nor virtually free.
  • Africa’s economic growth is likely to be slower in the intervening years

    2016/05/12 Africa’s economic increase is likely to be slower in the intervening years than in the before decade, according to the new rating by Ernst & Young using a barometer to gauge the level of appeal and success.“The baseline projection of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for 2016 is presently reduced to 3%, while it was estimated at 6.1% in April 2015″, Ernst & Young points out in its rating.