The Africa Sustainable Energy Centre (ASEC) has taken note of  the findings of the investigation committee into the fire outbreak at the Akosombo Substation, which concluded that the incident resulted from insulation failure associated with ageing  infrastructure rather than sabotage. 

ASEC commends the committee for its thorough investigation and welcomes the commitment  of the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition to implement the recommendations arising  from the report. The incident serves as a critical reminder of the urgent need to strengthen  Ghana’s transmission infrastructure, protection systems, maintenance culture, and emergency  response capabilities. 

The findings reveal several technical deficiencies that require immediate attention if similar  incidents are to be prevented in the future. 

ASEC strongly believes that the fire should have never escalated, this is a pure engineering and  structural failure. ASEC gives the following recommendations which must be adhered to in  order to prevent such incidents: 

The committee’s findings indicate that cable insulation deterioration and overheating played a  significant role in the fire. ASEC recommends the mandatory implementation of periodic  Infrared (IR) thermographic scanning across all major substations, switchgear, transformers,  and cable systems. 

IR inspections can identify hotspots, abnormal heating, loose connections, overloaded circuits,  and insulation degradation long before they develop into catastrophic failures. The adoption of  routine predictive maintenance programs utilizing thermal imaging technology would  significantly reduce the risk of equipment fires and unplanned outages.

A modern substation should be capable of detecting and suppressing a fire within seconds of  ignition, thereby minimizing equipment damage and service disruptions. 

One of the most concerning findings of the investigation was that after the first transformer  tripped at approximately 311 amps, a second transformer continued feeding the fault because  its protection settings were configured to trip at a higher threshold. 

This indicates a potential deficiency in protection coordination and Short Circuit Coordination  Studies (SCCS). 

ASEC recommends a comprehensive review of protection philosophies, relay settings, and  fault coordination studies across the national transmission network. Proper coordination  ensures that the closest protective device isolates a fault quickly and selectively, preventing  fault escalation and equipment destruction. 

No transmission system should allow a fault to continue feeding unchecked due to inadequate  protection coordination. 

Redundancy is a fundamental engineering principle that ensures system reliability even when  critical equipment fails. The absence of sufficient redundancy can transform localized faults  into national emergencies. 

ASEC therefore calls on GRIDCo and other sector stakeholders to prioritize: • Redundant protection and control systems. 

Critical infrastructure upgrades and retrofit projects must never be undertaken without a clearly  defined redundancy strategy capable of maintaining system stability during maintenance,  faults, or emergencies. 

The committee’s findings clearly demonstrate that ageing infrastructure and deteriorated assets  pose a growing risk to Ghana’s power system. 

ASEC strongly advocates for a transition from reactive maintenance practices to predictive  maintenance strategies supported by modern technologies such as: 

By leveraging these technologies, operators can identify emerging failures before they result  in service interruptions or catastrophic equipment loss. 

A Wake-Up Call for Ghana’s Energy Sector 

The Akosombo Substation fire should serve as a national wake-up call. While engineers  deserve commendation for restoring service under challenging circumstances, the sector must  seize this opportunity to modernize its maintenance culture, improve protection systems,  strengthen fire safety measures, and build redundancy into critical infrastructure. 

“The lessons from Akosombo are clear. We must move beyond reactive maintenance and  embrace predictive technologies. We must improve protection coordination, strengthen fire  suppression capabilities, and introduce robust redundancy across the grid. The reliability of  Ghana’s power system depends on it,”  

ASEC stands ready to support the Ministry of Energy, GRIDCo, ECG, VRA, Ghana Gas,  regulators, and development partners in advancing these critical reforms to build a safer, more  resilient, and future-ready power sector.