ECG To Publish Unit Calculation Table Next Week

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has announced that it would issue out a new reckoner that would educate the general public on the actual break down of the newly implemented electric tariffs.

The Managing Director in charge of Business development at ECG, Mr Theophilus Asante Darko, says the document would be available to the general public by Monday, March 19.

He made this submission on Citi FM, yesterday, adding that consumers should expect the document gazetted in newspapers and available on the company’s website for their perusal.

“When the reckoner comes everyone, on your mobile phones can easily calculate the total unit consumed this month,” Mr Darko said.

Reiterating the MD’s stance, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) for ECG, Mr William Boateng on Radio Gold said, the reckoner was almost ready.

He said, “I have a copy with me but we are still working on it…the reckoner would be available everywhere so that consumers can verify their consumption levels…the more you consume the more the reduction is significant,” he noted.

Reductions Reflect April 1

Meanwhile, The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) says consumers would start seeing deductions from April 1 and not March 15 as earlier announced.

Consumers of electricity who thought they would enjoy reductions in tariffs have had their hopes dashed with others wondering if they have been deceived.

But the PRO for ECG says nothing has changed adding that reduction “has taken effect because the system has been programmed to start billing on the new reduced rate.”

According to him, the implementation cannot reflect on the bills of consumers due to the monthly cycle billing system it uses.

“The challenge we have is with the prepaid consumers…with prepaid customers if you go today or this week, you may not see any reduction because of the billing cycle and so we have explained that come April 1, when you go to deposit cash or purchase electricity, the system would pick and aggregate your consumption for the entire month and then it would work on the relieve from 16th -31st and on your second visit, it would refund that relieve,” Mr  Boateng explained.

Following this announcement, critics have tongue-lashed the PURC and ECG, accusing them of being puppets in the hands of the current government―doing their bidding even when they (PURC) were not ready for tariff reductions.

Former Deputy Minister for Power for the Erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr John Abdulai Jinapor says, “…if there was proper consultation, once the tariffs are announced, the gazette follows and immediately the gazette comes, the reckoner follow. 10 good days…what kind of consultation was done…if the PURC knew it was not feasible who compelled them to announce these deductions.”

By: Grace Ablewor Sogbey/ [email protected]