Proposed electricity tariffs increment ill-timed – Consumer Protection Agency

The Chief Executive Officer of the Consumer Protection Agency, Kofi Kapito, has said calls for a possible rise in the electricity tariffs in the country is wrong.

According to him, conversations on tariffs increment will only be proper when the country’s power outage issues are addressed.

“The timing is very wrong considering what the Ghanaian is going through when it comes to these recent power outages. The outages are the concern of the Ghanaian. I think if the outages are solved or resolved, we can look at these non-tariffs that ECG is proposing,” Mr. Kapito said in a Citi News interview.

He further urged the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) to seek compensation for customers who have lost electrical gadgets because of the unstable power supply.

“PURC [Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission] should actually look at what has gone on with the recent power outages as to how they will compensate Ghanaians who might have their appliances destroyed,” he added.

In the face of intermittent power supply, ECG says is still hoping to increase its tariffs to aid its operational activities.

October 2019 was the last time the country raised its electricity tariffs.

The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission oversaw a 5.94% increment in the tariffs.

It used the automatic adjustment formula to determine the real cost of electricity.

The Ghana Cedi-US dollar exchange rate, inflation, demand forecast and electricity cost were some of the factors that cause the increment.

The current proposal will only materialise after approval from the Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission.