Kasoa: ECG disconnects over 50 homes from the national grid over illegal connection

More than 50 households in Kasoa in the Central Region have been disconnected from the national grid by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) as part of a campaign against power theft.

The power distribution company also threatened to drag persons engaged in power theft to court.

The Central Regional Revenue Protection Manager for ECG, Engineer Ebenezer Yaw Fiadoh, told Citi News the illegal practice was adversely affecting the operations and revenue of his outfit.

“This is affecting our revenue, making it difficult to manage the company. If we are denied this revenue then it affects our operations in the first place and the workers because we are paid out of this revenue. I will blame the landlords because the properties belong to them, and they should also bear in my mind that there is a law that says that if they don’t pay, we can take you to court and also be sued.”

At a recent Regional stakeholders' dialogue organized by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), the ECG in the Central Region expressed worry over the high level of unauthorized extension of electricity supply , which they say is affecting their operations in the region.

“The unauthorized extension of electricity is affecting our production and costing us a lot of money. We sometimes have these roadside electricians who go to our substations and do these connections, and they don't use the right materials which tend to destroy our transformers,” Regional Engineer of ECG Ing. George Amoah said.

He again explained that they are also faced with land challenges, making it difficult for them to mount their poles and other equipment.

“Land acquisition is also a big challenge, and it has stalled a lot of projects. A project which is supposed to take ECG three years to complete will take us about five years and this is worrying,” the Regional Engineer said.

Head of Public Relations and External Affairs of PURC, Bawa Munkaila told Citi News the commission is aware of the situation and is putting measures in place to address it.

“We are aware of the challenges utility providers go through and the revenue shortfalls in their operations, but we are side by side with government working to address these challenges,” the head of Public Relations and External Affairs of the commission said.