Ghana Energy Minister warns of lack of power generation redundancy

Ghana’s Energy and Green Transition Minister, John Abdulai Jinapor, has acknowledged that the nation’s power generation system lacks sufficient redundancy. Speaking at the ministry’s 2026 Annual Review Meeting in Ho, Jinapor stated that the absence of backup capacity leaves the grid vulnerable to blackouts when plants fail, demand spikes, or maintenance is required.

This lack of a cushion creates a strategic dilemma for the government. While additional power is needed to prevent outages, Jinapor expressed caution regarding the procurement of more power to avoid the financial burden of costly private contracts and ‘take-or-pay’ obligations that have previously impacted public finances.

To address the instability, the ministry is working to revive idle Volta River Authority (VRA) power plants and ensure the Akosombo Hydroelectric Dam operates at full capacity to improve system reliability.