The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has asked for a tariff increase to support its operations. ECG calls for tariff hike to improve operations amid ‘Dumsor’ fears
Speaking on Thursday, April 8, 2021, the Managing Director of the state power distributor, Kwame Agyeman-Badu said the company needs the money to improve its operations amid incessant power outages across the country.
“If we get the increase, we will love it [but] that will be up to the PURC because, no matter what we propose, they will ultimately decide,” he stated.
He added: “In terms of distribution, we need support because we have to do upgrades to make sure the system is sustainable. We don’t wait till something is broken before we fix it. We need additional funds to upgrade our systems at all times.”
Meanwhile, the Minister of Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, assured that Ghana will not slip back into the prolonged period of outages between 2012 and 2016 christened ‘Dumsor’.
The minister’s remarks come on the back of incessant power cuts in various parts of the country in the past few days, heightening fears among Ghanaians that the country is gradually moving towards the unbearable ‘Dumsor’ era.
Despite these unannounced power cuts, the Ghana Grid Company, (GRIDCo) said the country has enough power to supply.
That notwithstanding, it revealed that it is in talks with ECG and NEDCo to roll out a timetable for power outages across the country.
“We should all be sincere and truthful in our communication. In 2016, the whole country was given periods when we are to receive power and when to be off. In 2016, the government of the day told us it was a generation problem," Prempeh stated.
Credit: Yen.com