Government to regulate EV charging stations amid rising electricity demand

The government is preparing legislation to regulate electric vehicle (EV) charging stations as the growing adoption of EVs creates additional demand on Ghana’s electricity infrastructure.

Under the proposed regulations, operators are expected to obtain approval from the Energy Commission before establishing charging stations to ensure that local electricity networks have adequate capacity to support the facilities.

Minister of Energy and Green Transition, Dr Abdulai Jinapor, disclosed this at the Future of Energy Conference (FEC) 2026 in Accra.

He said the measure had become necessary due to the rapid growth of EV charging stations and the significant electricity demand associated with fast-charging technology.

“People seeing that opportunity have started setting up EV charging stations,” he said, explaining that new charging technology allows vehicles to be charged within “five to 10 minutes”, but such fast charging could consume substantial amounts of electricity.

The conference, organised by the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), was held on the theme: “Powering Africa’s Industrial Transformation: Energy Systems for Value Addition and Competitiveness.”

Dr Jinapor warned that the uncontrolled establishment of charging stations could put additional pressure on existing electricity infrastructure, particularly transformers, and potentially disrupt power supply to other consumers.

“So, what we witness is that people set up EV charging stations and immediately the transformer gets blown,” he said.

The Minister stressed that the proposed regulation was not intended to discourage investment in electric mobility but to safeguard the reliability of the national power supply.

“We want to ensure that we have reliable supply of power, not just for your EV charging station, but for other uses, including industrial usage,” he said.

Dr Jinapor said Ghana had experienced significant growth in electric vehicle adoption, noting that research suggested EV users could save about 40 per cent on fuel and related road-use costs.

However, he said the increasing number of EVs also meant that the electricity system had to accommodate a new and growing category of demand alongside the needs of industries, mines, data centres and other productive sectors.

“But that provides us with a challenge,” he said. “How do you provide reliable energy to power industrialization in light of EV vehicles being deployed in the country?”

He said Ghana’s electricity infrastructure therefore needed to be expanded and strengthened to keep pace with changing consumption patterns.

“Industrialization requires electricity at scale. Not just electricity but reliable electricity, predictable tariffs that industries can plan and good power quality,” Dr Jinapor said.

The Minister said the government was pursuing broader reforms in the electricity sector aimed at improving the reliability and affordability of power while strengthening infrastructure to support economic growth.

He stressed that energy policy must ultimately promote industrial competitiveness, adding that emerging technologies such as electric mobility would have to be incorporated into the electricity system without compromising power supply to existing consumers.