[ 2015-08-05 ]

ECG Battles GH¢444m System Losses
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), haunted by
huge revenue losses lost to power theft,
non-payment of bills on the part of its consumers,
has vowed to cut down on such losses which last
year were more than GH¢444m.

According to the power distributor, last year
24.18 percent of the power it bought from its
suppliers was lost to incidents of illegal
connections to the power grid, meter-tampering, as
well as non-payment of bills by some consumers.

The losses come at a time power consumers have
been grappling with power rationing that is
impeding economic activities.

With every one percent of system loss translating
to GH¢18.4million, it is estimated that the
activities of dodgy power consumers cost ECG some
GH¢444.912million last year.

In a move to reverse the trend, the ECG began a
nationwide customer audit exercise to unravel the
discrepancies that exist on its grid.

Last Saturday, the Managing Director of ECG Robert
Dwamena led a team of journalist to its inaugural
customer audit exercise at East Legon, where a
number of structures engaged in various
illegalities where disconnected.

One of the structures detected to have connected
illegally to the power grid was a three-storey
bedroom apartment block that was found to have
been connected to the national grid for at least
six months.

The plush apartment building had no ECG meter but
was full furnished with over 10 air-conditioners
in the various rooms, as well as other electrical
appliances with high power consumption.

When the team got to the scene, none of the
tenants were available and the building’s
caretaker was interrogated by ECG officials who
served notice that the perpetrator will be
arraigned before the Utilities Court after
investigations.

Speaking to the B&FT in the course of the
exercise, Mr. Dwamena said the system-losses are a
drain on the company operations, adding that the
company will go to great lengths to ensure such
losses are brought to the barest minimum.

He stated that it has resorted to rolling-out
smart prepaid meters to most of its customers as a
way of curbing meter-tampering, which he said is
becoming widespread.

The smart meters, he said, have the capability of
sending feedback to the ECG when they are tampered
with.

The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC)
has set a 21 percent benchmark for system losses,
and going by the exercise, Mr. Dwamena said, it is
sure of cutting the losses to about 22 percent by
year’s end.

Mr. Dwamena said the scale of this audit exercise
will propel the company to reduce its losses to
about 22 percent by close of year, and further
reduce it to 15 percent in the coming year.

ECG’s Public Relations Manager, commenting on
the scale of power theft, said the incidence is
not limited to poorly-developed areas and that
some structures within first-class areas have also
in the past been caught in the illegal act.

Source - Peacefmonline

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