Barring any interventions from Government, electricity bills are expected to double anytime soon. Reliable information chanced upon by Business Guide indicates that the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) is on the verge of approving a 100 percent increase in electricity tariffs.
Even though the Volta River Authority (VRA), Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDco) and Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) are expecting to see an above-100 percent increment, indications are that the Commission would approve the 100 per cent increment anytime now.
Chief Executive of the Volta River Authority (VRA), Kweku Awotw says his outfit, GRIDco and ECG are asking for a 125 percent increment to undertake expansion projects and also provide reliable power supply, �but at least with the 100 per cent increment, we can manage somehow.
The country, he noted, will continue to experience intermittent power outages until electricity consumers pay realistic tariffs. Electricity users are currently paying GH0.0602 per kilowatt. With the new increment therefore, the tariff becomes GH0.1204 per kilowatt, a document available to this paper states. �The present tariff regime was set based on the assumption that there would be natural gas from the West Africa Gas Pipeline Project to run the thermal plants but this project is yet to be completed. For now, let us increase the tariffs. If the gas comes, we would drop the price,� Mr. Awotwe stated.
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