The Ghana National Gas Company and Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) have announced a planned five-hour shutdown of the Gas Processing Plant at Atuabo from midnight to 5:00 am on Monday, April 20, 2026, to complete the replacement of a damaged Burner Management System controller.

The shutdown follows a major fault that developed in the BMS, which resulted in complete damage to the controller, necessitating its full replacement. The companies had earlier notified the public of the fault in a press release dated April 15, 2026.

According to a joint statement issued on Sunday, April 19, 2026, all enabling works toward replacing the BMS are approximately 90 per cent complete. To finish the installation, the planned shutdown of the plant will be required for five hours overnight.

GRIDCo and Ghana Gas assured the public that all necessary technical and operational measures have been put in place to ensure the works are completed within the scheduled timeframe. Measures have also been implemented to minimise the impact of the shutdown on consumers.

"We remain committed to maintaining a stable and reliable power supply. We assure the public of our commitment to operational excellence and system reliability, and we sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this necessary exercise may cause," the statement, signed by the Corporate Affairs Directorates of both entities, read.

Why this matters

The Gas Processing Plant at Atuabo is a critical component of Ghana's power generation infrastructure, processing natural gas for use in thermal power plants that generate electricity for the national grid. Any extended outage could have implications for power supply across the country.

However, the overnight timing of the shutdown—from midnight to 5:00 am—appears designed to minimise disruption to industrial and domestic consumers, as electricity demand is typically lower during these hours.

Restoration of full capacity

The successful replacement of the damaged BMS controller is expected to restore the plant to full operational capacity, enhancing the reliability of gas supply to the country's thermal power plants.

The companies have assured the public that all works will be completed within the scheduled five-hour window.