The Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament has intimated that the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) and the Energy Company of Ghana (ECG) management will appear before the parliament to address concerns about why electricity rates should be raised.
According to the committee, Ghanaians are entitled to an explanation for the planned pricing increase.
This follows PURC's declaration that utility rates will rise in the first quarter of 2023, beginning February 1, 2023.
According to the report, the end-user tariffs for electricity and water have been raised by about 30 and 8.3 percent, respectively, following the completion of the PURC's regulatory processes for quarterly adjustments.
Samuel Atta Akyea, Chairman of Parliament's Mines and Energy Committee, stated that PURC and ECG must explain the rationale for the increase.
"They should be able to explain to us why they think despite these problems, there should be an increase. I have not seen any rationale for this rise, therefore I intend to remain silent until we as a committee learn what is truly going on. As committee members, we do not have access to the details of this agreement. So we have to contact them, sit down, and engage them."
Mr. Attah Akyea went on to say that in order to produce more money, ECG must close all revenue gaps.
"Some individuals enjoy electricity at the expense of others, which is why their books don't look good. We need to look at some of these things because when you're trying to get out of a rut, you don't want to press people too hard. You do not, however, sit down for others to enjoy free electricity. Go ahead and repair it."