Parliament plunged into darkness as ECG disconnects power over Ghc23m debt

Electricity supply to the Parliament House and Job 600, the office complex for Members of Parliament, has been disconnected due to a GHc23 million debt.

The National Taskforce executed the disconnection on Thursday, February 29, following unsuccessful attempts to collect the outstanding arrears.

The disconnection is part of the ongoing “Operation Zero Balance” initiative by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) task force.

The primary goal of this initiative is to recover outstanding debts from various customers, and in this case, Parliament House and Job 600 were targeted due to their substantial debt.

Before the disconnection, efforts were made to recover the GHc23 million debt from the parliamentary facilities, but these attempts proved futile.

Citi News Parliamentary Correspondent, Nii Ayikwei Okine reported that the power outage lasted for close to three minutes before power was restored through a generator.

Meanwhile, Nana Amoasi IV, the Executive Director of the Institute for Energy Security (IES), has warned that the ongoing power cuts in parts of Ghana may persist unless immediate and deliberate actions are taken to address underlying challenges related to installed capacity and fuel supply.

He emphasized that these issues significantly impact the country’s power sector.

Parts of the country, notably the capital city, Accra, have been grappling with inconsistent power supply, creating disruptions in daily life.

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has yet to provide a clear explanation for the outages or furnish the public with a load timetable for better planning.