Fire and transformer explosion at GRIDCo substation cuts power to Obuasi

May 2025Published 7 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantElectricalProvisional

Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?

supply cut for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate

From the recordRoot cause Failed part

Where: GRIDCo substation in Ashanti Region, Ghana
Operator: Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo)
What: Fire and transformer explosion caused power outage
Response: Firefighters brought blaze under control
Outcome: Power supply remained disrupted during restoration

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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Ghana Grid, GRIDCo

What happened

A fire broke out at a Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) substation supplying electricity to Obuasi and surrounding communities in the Ashanti Region. The fire led to the explosion of a transformer, causing a major power outage across the affected area. The incident occurred on Wednesday, 21 May 2025. Firefighters attended the scene and brought the blaze under control. Following the fire, GRIDCo engineers began assessing the extent of the damage to substation equipment before restoring supply.

GRIDCo issued a public apology for the inconvenience caused and stated that its engineering team was carrying out checks to confirm the integrity of equipment at the station prior to reconnecting customers. As of the report, power supply to Obuasi and neighbouring communities remained disrupted while restoration work continued.

Lessons learned

Substation transformers need fire barriers, as a fire led to the explosion of a transformer.
Engineers must check substation equipment integrity after fire before reconnection.

More lessons on spacing, layout and fire spread, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

Cause of the fire
Transformer model and age
Duration of the outage
Cost of the damage

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Source

citinewsroom.com

Published 2026-09-07. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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Chart to reuse with this story: Grid infrastructure incidents in Ghana, by year, free with a credit (PNG).

The record behind this entry

The record behind EIR-0486 holds the site, the operator, the owner, the root cause, what failed and the fire service response as fields you can filter, count and export, with its source and their verification status. Companies are named in the roles the sources give them. Being named is not a finding of fault.

Site: ••••••••••••
Operator: •••••••••
Owner: •••••••••
Root cause: ••••••••••••••••
Failed part: •••••••
Fire service response: ••••••••••
Sources: ••••••••

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Grid infrastructure incidents in Ghana: 9 entries, with a free alert for the next one.

Substation and transformer fires: the counts, the latest entries and a free alert for the next one. Also: transformer explosions.

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