Several parts of Accra were plunged into darkness last night, around 7 PM, in what appeared to be load shedding. The outage occurred during the peak period when many residents return home and use high-power-consuming appliances. This blackout comes despite the earlier announcement that independent power producer Sunon Asogli Power Limited had resumed operations on the afternoon of Monday, November 25.
The High Street Journal confirmed that areas including Tema, Oyarifa, Ashongman, Sowutuom, Lapaz, Santamaria, and Race Course were affected by the blackout.
Sunon Asogli had shut down its 560MW power plant in October due to the Electricity Company of Ghana’s (ECG) failure to settle an outstanding debt of $259 million. After negotiations initially broke down, the two parties resumed discussions, leading to the power generator’s return to operations.
In a statement released on Monday, Sunon Asogli confirmed that it resumed operations at 3 PM on November 25, thanks to the government’s emergency funding to address its financial needs. The company also announced that it had submitted the final version of its restructuring terms to the Ministry of Finance and ECG for finalization and signing.
Sunon Asogli expressed confidence in reaching a “win-win” solution to ensure stability in Ghana’s energy sector. However, the company warned the ECG and the government to adhere to the terms of the agreement and honor their financial obligations. Failure to do so could result in another shutdown.
Despite Sunon Asogli’s 560MW power plant coming back online, many parts of the capital remained without electricity for hours. It is unclear if the planned pipeline cleaning and inspection by the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo) which was supposed to have started on Monday contributed to the outage.
Neither the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) nor the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) issued a statement last night regarding the widespread power outage.
