Electricity goes up 27.15%, water up 21.55%

The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has announced an increment in utility tariffs.

Electricity consumers have been hit with a 27.15% increment in their tariff while water consumers have also been hit with a 21.55% hike. The latest increments take effect on September 1, 2022.

The increments in utility tariffs come after the Electricity Company of Ghana and Ghana Water Company Limited proposed an increase in tariffs by 148% and 334% respectively.

According to PURC, the high rate of inflation, cedi depreciation and various other harsh economic factors led them to arrive at the current percentages.

Chairman of the PURC, Mr. Ebo Quagraine addressing journalists on Monday, August 15, urged the public to support the utility companies to recoup revenues in order to provide better services.

In May this year, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Ghana Water Company demanded over 130% increment in utility tariffs.

In a separate proposal from the companies to Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), they indicated that the increment will help their respective companies stay afloat.

ECG based its demand on the Distribution Service Charges (DSC).

The result of ECG’s tariff proposal for the next five years shows an approximately 148% increase on the current DSC1 in 2022 and an average increase of 7.6% year on year from 2023 to 2026.