Consumers cannot be paying for ECG’s inefficiencies — Minority

The Minority in Parliament has urged the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) not to shift the inefficiencies of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) onto consumers through tariff adjustments.

The call comes after PURC announced new electricity and water tariff increases effective July 1, 2026.

Electricity tariffs will go up by 3.49 per cent across all customer categories, while water tariffs will rise by 0.85 per cent.

The commission explained that the quarterly review was informed by inflation trends, exchange rate pressures, the national electricity generation mix, and the rising cost of natural gas used for power generation.

Addressing a press briefing in Parliament on Wednesday, June 24, Deputy Ranking Member of the Energy Committee, Collins Adomako-Mensah, said the continuous approval of tariff increments without addressing structural inefficiencies is unfair to consumers.

“ECG has a responsibility to collect the money that they sell or the electricity that they sell. If for years ECG is continuously making commercial losses, consumers cannot be paying for their inefficiencies,” he said.

He argued that operational inefficiencies within the power distribution system must be resolved before consumers are made to absorb rising costs.

Mr Adomako-Mensah also questioned the delay in releasing a report into alleged rapid depletion of prepaid electricity credits, saying government had previously committed to a short timeline for the investigation.

He said the continued absence of the report raises concerns about accountability and transparency in the management of the power sector.

“There are fundamental things that PURC must focus their attention on, but they are always on the side of the government and utility players. They are there to regulate them to the benefit of the consumer,” he stated.