The Executive Secretary of the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC), Duncan Amoah, is urging the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) to reverse its decision to increase utility tariffs. Apexnewsgh reports
The PURC recently announced a 14.75% upward adjustment in electricity tariffs and a 4.02% increase in water tariffs for all consumers. According to Amoah, these hikes are unjustifiable and unreasonable, especially given the Electricity Company’s (ECG) accountability issues.
Amoah cited the ECG’s unaccounted-for containers, valued at hundreds of millions of Cedis, as a major concern. “We have almost 2,000 containers unaccounted for… Then, we turn back and claim we don’t have money, hence being unable to sustain operations. Therefore, we are raising tariffs. This doesn’t add up,” he stated.
he believes that PURC needs to reconsider its decision in light of these accountability issues.
If the government fails to rescind the decision, industry players will fiercely resist the hikes, according to Amoah. “Coming back to the consumer to insist we pay more, I can assure will be resisted fiercely.” COPEC has previously advocated for consumer protection, pushing for a cap on fuel price increments by Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to balance price floors and ceilings.
The PURC attributed the tariff adjustments to factors such as the exchange rate between the Ghana cedi and US dollar, inflation projections, fuel costs (particularly natural gas), and the current hydro-thermal generation mix. However, Amoah’s concerns highlight the need for greater transparency and accountability in the utility sector.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com
