The Public Utilities and Regulator Commission (PURC) says it will consider the interest of the consuming public and the investor community before announcing new tariffs for utilities in the country.
Ali Simon Jarana, the Head of Public Relations and External Affairs of PURC, in a Citi FM interview said that besides consumers, it will consider the interest of the investor community as well as the interest of the utility companies before announcing the new tariffs.
“PURC will weigh the concerns of the consuming public and other stakeholders. We’ll consider the interest of the consuming public as well as the investor community, and also protect the interest of the utility company by making sure that it is financially viable. We will also look at our regulatory benchmark including the allowable losses and all these are put together, so it isn’t just an academic exercise,” he said.
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The PURC has up to July 2022 to announce new utility tariffs.
The Electricity Company of Ghana has proposed that its tariffs be increased by 148% for 2022 and with 7.6% average adjustments between the periods of 2023 to 2026.
Similarly, the Ghana Water Company is also proposing an increment in its tariffs by over 300% to be able to at least recover its operational cost.
The proposals are already generating huge public discussions, with majority of the public kicking against the request.