Compute tariffs on website - Agyarko to PURC

Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko has charged the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) and other authorities in the power sector to publish tariffs on their website to help consumers compute and track their power consumption.

According to him, the charges for power consumption should not be a secret because consumers need to know.

The minister believes it is time to improve “the transparency of our tariffs regime”.

Mr Agyarko, who addressed stakeholders on the second day of the National Policy Summit in Accra on Tuesday, May 16, said: “What I am looking for is for PURC to put on their website an interactive … calculator so I can go to the PURC website and say, ‘I have consumed 300KV and put that number in and it should tell me how much I owe in electricity’”

For him, getting information on electricity tariffs “should not be as if we are consulting an oracle … because we (citizens) are entitled to know”.

Meanwhile, Mr Agarko has revealed an additional three power substations are required to be constructed in order to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the Greater Accra Region.

“To stabilise power in the Greater Accra Region, we need three more substations,” Mr Agyarko stated.

He explained that a single substation costs US$25m, requiring a total of US$75m to ensure that residents and industries in the region do not suffer unnecessary power fluctuations.

On the other hand, the minister indicated that Kumasi needs two bulk power stations to keep power stabilised in the city and its environs.

He underscored the need to prevent power interruptions to ensure more reliable power supply for industrial and domestic use.