The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has explained to the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) that it published planned maintenance works at various operational areas to inform customers about interruption in power supply.
This is contained in a letter exclusively available to 3news.com dated March 27, 2024.
The letter is a reply to the 8-page order statement issued by the PURC to the ECG dated March 18, 2024.
On the specific request for “Evidence of publication of Load management timetable corresponding with the timelines and duration of each transformer injection to consumers,” the Managing Director of the ECG, Mr Samuel Dubik Mahama wrote, “In line with the response to 2.3e above, find attached soft copies of publications on planned maintenance at various facilities within ECG’s operational area. Copies of the publications are attached…”
“ECG wishes to communicate that the practice over the years for transformer injection works, is to send notices on planned maintenance to customers. ECG does not give notices for individual transformer injections. Upon issuance of notices for planned maintenance, ECG goes ahead to carry out substation maintenance works, underground cable fault repairs, overhead line fault repairs. damaged pole replacements, transformer injections, etc,” Mr. Mahama stated.
This letter notwithstanding, on March 28, the PURC had cause to threaten to issue regulatory action against the ECG for non-compliance.
The PURC stated in an update that it has observed that the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has failed to comply with its directive to release a load-shedding timetable corresponding with the timelines and duration for each transformer injection.
The regulator says it has not seen any evidence of the publication of the load management timetable.
PURC to take regulatory action against ECG for not releasing load-shedding timetable
In reaction to that, the Commission said it “is finalizing regulatory action on the above.”
It would be recalled that on March 18, 2024, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) ordered the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to comply with the Cash Waterfall Mechanism (CWM) and pay all tariff revenues as prescribed and allocated under the CWM to secure the financial integrity of the energy sector.
PURC bares its teeth at Electricity Company of Ghana over erratic power supply situation
According to the PURC, the objective of the CWM is to ensure fair and equitable allocation of revenues accruing from electricity tariffs it has approved as well as ensure that ECG distributes the tariff revenues it collects among all sector players along the electricity value chain.
PURC updates public on ECG’s compliance with Cash Waterfall Mechanism procedure | 3News
The order became necessary because while the ECG has cited overloaded transformers as cause of the prevailing erratic electricity supply situation, other stakeholders such as the African Centre for Energy Policy (ACEPA) and the Minority in Parliament have blamed the situation on debt owed Independent Power Producers (IPPs).
With regard to “Compliance with CWM Mechanism and payment of tariff revenues as prescribed”, Mr Mahama responded to the PURC thus, “ECG complied with this order on 26. March, 2024. The State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) have been paid. The Independent Power Producers (IPPs) have also been paid their due amounts in Ghana Cedis. For those IPPs that have to be paid in United States Dollars (USD), the Bank of Ghana (BoG) is working on paying the dollar equivalent of payments due.”
