Ghana’s Power Sector
Powering a Nation — from turbine to terminal.
Generation, transmission, distribution, access and the renewable transition — the moving parts of a grid that keeps homes, hospitals, factories and export markets running
01 — Generation
A vibrant, mixed generation landscape.
Ghana’s power supply is drawn from hydroelectricity, thermal plants fueled by crude oil, natural gas and diesel, solar, and imports from La Côte d’Ivoire. Ghana exports power to Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso — with grid expansions set to open more sub-regional trade.
Reforms in the 1980s dismantled barriers to entry and created a level playing field for independent power producers alongside public sector generators.
Installed capacity
61% Thermal
Crude, natural gas & diesel
38% Hydro
Akosombo, Kpong, Bui
1% Solar
Utility-scale & mini-grids
02 —Transmission
GRIDCo — the national interconnected backbone.
Transmission is the responsibility of the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), established in 2006 under the Energy Commission Act 1997 (Act 541) and the Volta River Development (Amendment) Act 2005 (Act 692), which separated transmission from VRA’s other activities.
The Ministry is driving major projects to modernise the grid — replacing over-aged equipment, expanding substations, and installing capacitor banks across the country
161 kV & 330 kV Lines
New high-voltage transmission corridors to unlock capacity and reduce losses.
Substation Expansions
Existing substations upgraded to handle higher loads and improve reliability.
New Substations
Fresh substations rolled out across the country to serve growing demand.
Capacitor Banks
Reactive power compensation to stabilise voltage on long transmission spans.
03 — Distribution
A vibrant, mixed generation landscape.
Distribution is delivered by three utilities — two state-owned and one private — covering the length of the country and every consumer segment from lakeside homes to Tema Free Zone industry.
ECG
Electricity Company of Ghana
6 southern regions
Ashanti, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Volta and Western regions. The largest distribution utility, wholly owned by the Government of Ghana.
NEDCo
Electricity Company of Ghana
Northern Electricity Distribution Company
Formerly the Northern Electricity Department of VRA (est. 1987 with 10MW and 12,000 customers). Established as a VRA subsidiary in 2012 and expanded through successive electrification programmes.
EPC
Enclave Power Company
Tema Free Zones
The only privately-owned distributor, serving roughly 50 industrial customers in the Tema Free Zones Enclave. Private participation is expanding under MCC Compact II.
04 — Access
One of Africa’s highest electrification rates.
The National Electrification Scheme (NES) was instituted in 1989 with the policy objective of reliable electricity for every corner of Ghana. From roughly 20% access in 1990, the country has climbed to the highest access rate in Sub-Saharan Africa — and is pushing toward universal coverage.
National access rate
1990
Baseline
Today
National avg.
Goal
Universal access
05 — Renewable Energy
From 1% to a cleaner energy mix.
Ghana is endowed with biomass, hydropower, coastal wind and high solar irradiation. Renewables currently contribute about 1% to the mix — the policy goal is 10%, backed by the Renewable Energy Act (Act 832, 2011) and a master plan in development.
01
Utility-scale procurement
Structured deployment of large renewables via competitive bidding — including a 20MW solar plant tendered for ECG and Bui Power Authority’s 50MW solar tender
02
Mini-grids in the NES
Mainstreaming renewable mini-grids into the National Electrification Scheme to serve island and lakeside communities with clean, reliable power.
Nuclear roadmap
Ghana’s national roadmap to integrate nuclear into the energy mix has been developed and accepted by the IAEA. Site basic data is complete; field acquisition and feasibility studies are next.
03
Small hydro data refresh
Field studies underway to update existing data on small hydro potentials and unlock decentralised generation opportunities.
04
Productive-use programmes
Sustainable energy initiatives targeting small-scale irrigation in agriculture and food processing to convert access into livelihoods.