The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has provided clarification to the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) regarding its publication of planned maintenance works at various operational sites to notify customers about potential power supply interruptions. This information is detailed in a letter exclusively obtained by 3news.com and dated March 27, 2024.
In response to an 8-page directive issued by the PURC to the ECG on March 18, 2024, the Managing Director of ECG, Mr. Samuel Dubik Mahama, addressed the specific request concerning the publication of load management timetables corresponding with the timelines and duration of each transformer injection. Mr. Mahama explained that while notices for planned maintenance are routinely sent to customers, individual notices for transformer injections are not provided. Attached to the letter were soft copies of publications on planned maintenance at various ECG facilities.
Despite ECG’s response, the PURC, on March 28, threatened regulatory action against ECG for non-compliance, citing the absence of evidence of the load management timetable publication. The Commission stated its intention to finalize regulatory action on the matter.
Earlier, on March 18, 2024, the PURC had ordered ECG to adhere to the Cash Waterfall Mechanism (CWM) and allocate all tariff revenues as prescribed to ensure the financial integrity of the energy sector. The CWM aims to fairly distribute revenues from approved electricity tariffs among sector participants. This directive was issued amid differing explanations for the erratic electricity supply, with ECG attributing it to overloaded transformers while other stakeholders, such as the African Centre for Energy Policy (ACEPA) and the Minority in Parliament, blamed debt owed to Independent Power Producers (IPPs).
Regarding compliance with the CWM Mechanism and payment of tariff revenues, Mr. Mahama informed the PURC that ECG had complied with the order by March 26, 2024. State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and IPPs had been paid their dues in Ghana Cedis, with arrangements being made by the Bank of Ghana (BoG) to pay the equivalent amounts due to IPPs in United States Dollars (USD).
