Electricity and water tariffs are likely to go up in July this year, the Institute for Energy Security (IES) has projected.
Nana Amoasi VIII, Energy Analyst and Executive Director of the Institute said \u201cfrom all indications, there will be an upward review of the current tariff.\u201d
He said: \u201cWe must brace ourselves for electricity tariff increment so we can save both the distribution and transmission grid from collapsing and have some reliable power supply.\u201d
He added: \u201cIt\u2019s quite unfortunate that it has become a pressing issue to bite at this time when Ghanaians are going through tough times, but it\u2019s still necessary to pay a little more for the utilities to invest to save the grid from collapsing.\u201d
The Energy Analyst noted that Ghana had not seen any major tariff increases in the last seven years, yet the operational cost of electricity continued to rise, hampering the work of utilities.
He was of the view that if electricity consumers were not made to pay a little more to enable the service provider to invest, \u201c… the power system may collapse…\u201d
He said: \u201cBetween 2015 and now, electricity tariff has not seen any significant rise. Meanwhile, the operational cost of the utilities has been rising year on year partly due to foreign exchange losses through obsolete equipment and power lines, and increasing cost of borrowing to finance their operations.
The IES Executive Director called on the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) to be prepared to work more to stop the increasing commercial losses they incurred.
He said: \u201cThey should make sure that the sacrifices that Ghanaians are being asked to make by paying more for electricity in such a challenging time reflect an increased reliability in power supply within the shortest possible time.\u201d
Dr Ishmeal Ackah, Executive Secretary of the Public Utilities Regulation Commission (PURC), told the Ghana News Agency that the Commission, together with key stakeholders were reviewing the country\u2019s electricity and water tariffs.
He said as to the current tariff being increased, reduced or maintained: \u201cWe\u2019re all asking the same question.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n