Reliable electricity supply depends not only on how much power a country can generate, but on the resilience and security of the entire electricity system, according to energy analyst Dr. Elikplim Kwabla Apetorgbor, who is urging Ghana and other developing economies to broaden their energy planning beyond generation expansion.
In a detailed policy analysis, Apetorgbor argued that countries can have sufficient installed generation capacity and still experience recurring outages if transmission networks are weak, fuel systems unstable, control systems exposed, physical infrastructure vulnerable, or utilities lack real-time operational visibility.
“Reliable electricity supply is no longer only a question of generation capacity,” he said.
Drawing on Ghana’s energy outlook, Apetorgbor noted that while installed and dependable capacity may appear adequate on paper, actual reliability can be undermined by fuel constraints, maintenance schedules, weak grid infrastructure, and broader system vulnerabilities. He said this demonstrates that reliability must be assessed through the resilience of the full electricity architecture rather than megawatt figures alone.
He argued that many governments continue to focus too narrowly on adding generation, even though generation alone cannot guarantee reliable electricity if transmission systems cannot evacuate power, distribution networks are overloaded, or utilities operate with outdated systems.
“The priority must now shift from a narrow ‘more megawatts’ strategy to a broader secure, intelligent, flexible, and resilient power system strategy,” he said.
Apetorgbor’s broader framework defines power system security as extending far beyond engineering reserves and transmission maintenance. It includes cybersecurity, physical infrastructure security, operational coordination, fuel sustainability, automation, emergency preparedness, financial health, and institutional discipline.
He said the rapid digitalisation of power systems has transformed electricity networks into cyber-physical systems, where technologies such as SCADA, smart meters, telecom systems, digital substations, and cloud platforms improve efficiency but also increase vulnerability to cyber threats. As a result, he called for cybersecurity to be treated as a core part of national energy security, supported by dedicated operational technology security centres, mandatory standards, system segmentation, and regular audits.
Apetorgbor also stressed that physical assets such as substations, transformers, transmission towers, fuel pipelines, and control centres must be protected as strategic national infrastructure because disruption can affect hospitals, telecoms, banks, schools, and industrial productivity.
“Grid Automation Is the Backbone of Resilience,” he said.
He argued that automation technologies, including advanced metering infrastructure, fault isolation systems, SCADA upgrades, distribution management systems, and digital substations, are critical to enabling faster fault detection, real-time monitoring, quicker restoration, and improved operational intelligence.
Fuel supply was identified as another core pillar of reliability, particularly in thermal-dependent systems where disruptions in gas or liquid fuel supply can idle generation plants and destabilise the broader system. He called for formal fuel security frameworks, including strategic reserves, dual-fuel capability, transparent allocation systems, and emergency financing protocols.
Beyond infrastructure, Apetorgbor said financial sustainability is inseparable from technical reliability, warning that utilities burdened by weak revenue recovery, delayed maintenance, poor procurement, or unpaid obligations often postpone resilience investments until outages become severe.
He proposed a National Power System Resilience and Security Investment Programme built around cybersecurity, transmission reinforcement, distribution automation, fuel security, physical asset protection, and stronger institutional coordination.
“Electricity Security Is National Security,” he said.
In his view, reliable electricity is foundational to industrialisation, healthcare, banking, digitalisation, mining, agriculture, and public safety, and that countries seeking round-the-clock economic productivity must first secure a power system capable of operating resiliently under pressure.
