PURC Restores Power to 60,000 Central Region Customers and Pledges Service Improvements in Northern Region

The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has taken significant steps to stabilize electricity supply in Ghana’s Central Region by replacing 10 damaged and overloaded transformers. This intervention, conducted in collaboration with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), directly addresses a backlog of complaints from approximately 61,004 customers who have endured prolonged power outages. The affected communities had been facing erratic supply or total blackouts lasting from two weeks to nearly two months, prompting the commission to prioritize these infrastructure upgrades to restore normalcy. The replacement project, estimated at a cost of approximately GH¢550,000, underscores the critical role of consumer feedback in identifying service gaps and improving utility services through direct technical intervention. In a parallel effort to ensure utility reliability, the Executive Secretary of the PURC, Dr. Shafic Suleman, led a delegation to the Northern Region to evaluate the operations and infrastructure of local utility providers. During the visit, Dr. Suleman reaffirmed the commission’s core mandate to protect consumer interests while ensuring the sustainability of the national utility systems. This oversight follows a nine percent tariff adjustment implemented earlier this year, with the PURC now closely monitoring whether these increased revenues are being reinvested into tangible service improvements. The regulator is particularly focused on ensuring that investments lead to a better consumer experience, especially regarding the consistency of utility delivery in underserved areas. Beyond electricity, the PURC's regional assessment specifically targeted the consistency of water supply, particularly as the dry season approaches. Dr. Suleman acknowledged that water production and distribution remain significant challenges in the Northern Region but assured residents that the commission is diligently monitoring utility company investments to enhance production capacity. By holding providers accountable to their service level agreements and monitoring infrastructure health, the PURC intends to mitigate the impact of seasonal shortages and ensure a more reliable flow of essential services to households and businesses nationwide.