Akosombo Hydrolectric plant, Ghana

The Akosombo Hydroelectric Project, located on the Volta River in Ghana, is one of the most important infrastructures in the country and West Africa. Construction of the plant began in 1961 and was completed in 1966, with financial support from the World Bank and other international entities.

The Akosombo Hydroelectric Plant was developed to provide a stable and abundant source of electricity to support Ghana's industrialization and economic development.

The Akosombo Dam, standing 134 meters high and 700 meters long, creates Lake Volta, one of the largest artificial reservoirs in the world, with a surface area of about 8,500 square kilometers.

With an initial installed capacity of 912 megawatts (MW), later increased to over 1,020 MW, the plant is equipped with six Francis turbines, each with a capacity of about 170 MW. These turbines use the water drop from Lake Volta to generate energy, converting the potential energy of the water into mechanical energy, and then into electrical energy.

The energy produced by the Akosombo plant is primarily intended to meet Ghana's domestic energy demand but is also exported to neighboring countries, contributing to the region's energy stability. The plant has played a crucial role in promoting Ghana's industrial development, particularly in the aluminum sector, thanks to the provision of reliable and low-cost electricity.