As part of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission’s theme for the year 2024, “a year of strategic impact”, and the various efforts to decentralize its operations to protect the interest of consumers and utility service providers in the country, the Greater Accra Regional Office of the Commission (PURC) on 3rd & 4th September 2024, engaged sixty-one District Managers of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Ghana Water Limited (GWL), all in an attempt to draw the utilities close to the PURC for better and more effective collaboration between the two institutions.
This engagement forms part of the Commission's planned and sustained efforts to better understand issues affecting consumers and utility service providers, and to proffer the right regulatory solutions.
The Greater Accra Office of the Commission made a presentation on the overview of its activities carried out in the region for Mid-year 2024, and the Capital Contribution’s Guidelines. The Commission also took the opportunity to throw more light on the PURC Energy Consumption Estimator (PECE), which allows for the ease of computation for energy in kWh and in monetary terms (Ghana cedis).
The office commended the Districts for their endless efforts and cooperation with the Commission in enhancing the quality of service within the region and the improvement of customer relations. ECG on its part, made a presentation on the new billing system, the ongoing replacement of meters nationwide and the various Apps used for billing (Zeus App, AMR and Adora system).
GWL made a presentation to cover the distribution of water to various areas within the three regions (Accra East & West, and Tema), as well as their rationing programs in some communities.
The regional office and the utility service providers discussed issues bodering on their operations and how best to address those issues to ensure that they deliver quality service to consumers. GWL drew the attention of the Commission to the damage caused by contractors to GWL pipelines in the construction of roads. The service provider pleaded with the Commission to engage the Department of Urban Roads on their behalf, when construction is in progress.
ECG indicated that, the inadequate supply of key materials hinders timely service delivery to customers. The utility service providers appreciated the engagement, which went beyond examining and approving rates of service providers.
