The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has taken a firm stance against the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) board members who served from January 1 to March 18, 2024, by imposing a hefty fine of Five Million, Eight Hundred and Sixty-Eight Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS 5,868,000.00) on them.
This decision was made in response to the violation of Regulation 39 of L.I. 2413, which mandates prior notification to consumers before any power interruption.
Among the individuals affected by this fine are Keli Gadzekpo, the former Board Chair who resigned on March 26, and the current ECG Managing Director, Samuel Dubik Mahama. The commission’s action came after the ECG failed to adhere to a directive to issue a load-shedding timetable by April 2, 2024, without providing any explanation for the delay.
In addition to the fine, PURC also requested the ECG to submit the total number of planned outages carried out between January and March. The analysis revealed that 4142 outages were conducted within the specified period, with only 165 of them being ECG-planned outages. Shockingly, 125 out of the 165 planned outages were implemented without any prior notice to consumers, a direct violation of the law.
As a result of these breaches, ECG has been ordered to pay 3,000 penalty units for each violation committed. The total fine of GHS 5,868,000.00 must be paid by the board members before May 30, 2024, into a designated fuel account under the joint authority of the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Finance. Failure to comply with this directive could result in further repercussions for the ECG and its board members.
The commission emphasized that this strict penalty was essential to uphold regulatory standards and ensure that consumers are properly informed about power interruptions.
