The rehabilitation of the facility’s dam and spillway was announced at a stakeholders’ engagement meeting held by the state-owned utility on 26 October at which the project’s draft Environmental Impact Statement was presented.
The Kpong Dam Rehabilitation Project (KDRP), which will entail the rehabilitation of the upstream eastern and western dykes of the dam, replacement of all 15 spillway gates and the rebuilding of 10 km of a key access road, is scheduled to begin in early 2026, at an estimated cost of €62 million. The project is to be funded by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Union. The EIB announced on 23 October a proposed €45 million investment loan alongside an expected €17 million grant from the EU.
The rehabilitation of the dykes is scheduled to be completed within 18 months and the repair of the spillway gates is anticipated to be completed within four years. Repairs are to be carried out on the displaced rockfill dyke on the face of the upstream slope of the dam to ensure the proper operation and function for the next 50 years. It will involve the revision and improvement of the existing slopes as well as the proper rock grading on the river dam and the two dykes and an update of the instrumentation systems. The project will also entail the rehabilitation of all 15 spillway gates to ensure their proper functioning for the next 25 years.
The objective of the KDRP is to enhance the structural integrity of the dam through the rehabilitation and upgrade of essential components to ensure that it can withstand natural disasters, particularly heavy rain episodes, which are becoming more frequent in the Volta Lake Basin. This in turn will ensure the safety of the population surrounding and downstream of the dam.
The KDRP is also designed to support the energy transition in Ghana towards more sustainability and resilience. The rehabilitation works will consolidate hydroelectric production by at least 25 years, at a lower cost, at a time when Ghana needs to rebalance the financing of its electricity sector and consolidate its production of low-carbon electricity. The works with the revision of the operations of the dam will ensure a proper flow regulation, reduce the number of people exposed to flooding below the dam and protect the power station.
The Kpong hydropower dam, which was commissioned in 1982, operates as a run-of-river scheme in tandem with the Akosombo hydropower plant, which is located 24 km upstream, balancing its discharge, ensuring efficient hydropower production whilst supporting irrigation. The facility comprises a powerhouse with four units, an 18 m-high, 240 m-long earthfill dam with a rockfill upper face, a concrete spillway with 15 radial gates with a design capacity of 20 670 m3, and 6.2 km of earthfill dykes.
