New utility tariffs Coming – PURC

The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has said it will announce the next utility tariff adjustment in June to be implemented in July.

The PURC after taking tariff proposals from power companies such as the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo), the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) at a public hearing on tariff adjustment on January 14, announced that new tariffs for 2019 was to take effect from February 1.

However according to PURC, the announcement was delayed due to the takeover of Power Distribution Services (PDS) from the ECG.

Head of Public Relations at PURC, Bawah Munkaila in an interview with Citi News said an accurate tariff adjustment can only be determined after enough data has been gathered from the new service provider.

“We will be coming out with the next tariffs which will be effective from the 1st July. However we are announcing the tariffs within the month of June because of the takeover by PDS. We are observing some emerging trends and the takeover by PDS and are inculcating it as a condition so that after they start operating, we will be able to take the revenue requirement that is needed by PDS and all that will be inculcated in the tariff. We decided to hold on and give it another quarter to be able to give tariffs that will stand the test of time.”

The PURC had early on indicated that electricity tariffs will remain unchanged till July 1, 2019.

The PURC, in a statement, said changes in electricity tariffs, which is expected to take effect on July 1, 2019, will be announced in due course.

The PURC had said the decision to maintain tariffs was due to “critical emerging issues in the sector which are expected to affect the final tariff setting.”