The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has summoned officials of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) following widespread complaints that prepaid electricity units are depleting unusually fast.
PURC Executive Secretary, Dr Shafic Suleman, directed ECG’s Managing Director together with senior technical, commercial, ICT, and customer service officials to attend an emergency meeting on Wednesday, February 26, to explain the situation.
In a formal letter sighted by Myjoyonline, the Commission said it had “taken note of widespread media reports and public complaints alleging rapid depletion of prepaid electricity units” after the January tariff adjustment implemented under the Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO).
The Energy Ministry has also stepped in. On February 24, the Minister, through his spokesperson Richmond Rockson, instructed ECG to investigate the complaints and submit a comprehensive report within seven days.
“The PURC, the Energy Commission, the Ministry, and all the agencies are working together to get to the bottom of the matter and resolve it fairly and impartially,” the statement said.
However, ECG has rejected claims of wrongdoing. The company’s Director of Communications, William Boateng, told Adom FM that ECG applies only tariffs approved by PURC and has not implemented any additional charges beyond the sanctioned rates.
“Whatever increment PURC gives us is what is captured in our system. We have not implemented anything beyond that,” he explained.
He suggested that increased electricity consumption — driven by hotter weather conditions and the growing use of electrical appliances — may largely account for the faster depletion of prepaid units.
On January 1, 2026, PURC approved a 9.86% electricity tariff increase under the 2026–2030 MYTO framework to support long-term investments in Ghana’s power infrastructure.
The adjustment coincided with a sharp rise in electricity and gas inflation, which increased from 6.1% year-on-year in December 2025 to 14.8% in January 2026.
The February 26 meeting is expected to examine how the new tariff was integrated into the prepaid metering system, review any parameter changes, and assess the scale of consumer complaints alongside proposed remedies.
