page_title: Akosombo Dam
section_title: Impacts
hierarchical_section_title: Akosombo Dam / Impacts
caption_attribution_description: English: Akosombo Dam from the Volta Hotel; photograph taken in late July 2007.
context_page_description: The Akosombo Dam, also known as the Volta Dam, is a hydroelectric dam on the Volta River in southeastern Ghana in the Akosombo gorge and part of the Volta River Authority. The construction of the dam flooded part of the Volta River Basin, and led to the subsequent creation of Lake Volta. The flooding that created the Lake Volta reservoir displaced many people and had a significant impact on the local environment. Lake Volta is the largest man-made lake in the world by surface area. It covers 8,502 square kilometres, which is 3.6% of Ghana's land area. With a volume of 148 cubic kilometers, Lake Volta is the world's third largest man-made lake by volume, the largest being Lake Kariba which is located between Zimbabwe and Zambia in Southern Africa and contains 185 cubic kilometers of water.
  The primary purpose of the Akosombo Dam was to provide electricity for the aluminium industry. The Akosombo Dam was called "the largest single investment in the economic development plans of Ghana."
context_section_description: The Akosombo Dam benefited some industrial and economic activities from the addition of lake transportation, increased fishing, new farming activities along the shoreline, and tourism. The power generated has provided for primary interests within Ghana, while also supplying power to the neighboring countries of Togo and Benin. Ghana's industrial and economic expansion triggered a higher demand for power, beyond the Akosombo's power plant capabilities.  By 1981, a smaller dam was built at the town of Kpong, downstream from Akosombo and further upgrades to Akosombo have become necessary for maintaining hydropower output. Initially, the dam's power production capabilities greatly overreached the actual demand; while, the demand since the dam's inception has resulted in the doubling of hydropower production. Increasing demands for power exceed what can be provided by the current infrastructure.  Power demands, along with unforeseen environmental trends, have resulted in rolling blackouts and major power outages. An overall trend of lower lake levels has been observed, sometimes below the requirement for operation of the Akosombo Dam.
caption: The hydroelectric power plant on Lake Volta
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