PURC fines ECG for ‘breach of statutory obligations’

The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has sanctioned the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to pay GHC 202,640 for breaching statutory obligations in respect of the opening hours of customer service centers and pre-paid metering vending points of ECG.

The penalty also covers the ECG’s refusal to provide contingency measures to ensure customers of pre-payment metering could proceed to buy credits during the industrial strike which was embarked on by ECG workers in the first week of September 2016.

A statement from the Commission ordered that the payment be done before the 16th of September, failure of which would attract an extra GHC 10,000 for each day of non compliance of the order.

According to the PURC the ECG breached LI 1861 and LI 1935 It would be recalled that customers of ECG who use pre-paid meters were unable to purchase credit at the beginning of September because the ECG workers were on strike over government’s decision to privatise part of the operations of the company by bringing in a concessionaire.

Most customers were left stranded following the strike by the workers who said the decision to privatise ECG was not in the interest of the country.

The statement in conclusion said “the PURC as the regulator of water and electricity services wishes to indicate that the commission has the mandate to protect the interest of the consumer and ensure the financial viability of the utility service provider and we will tip this balance carefully and equitably by using all the relevant Laws and Regulations available to assist us fulfill our regulatory mandate.”