ALL EYES ON ECG NOW (JAN 21, 2011)

ONE of the key drivers of national development is the availability of an efficient power supply. It is for this reason that many countries spend huge sums of money to develop the power supply base or import power from neighbouring countries to run their business and domestic activities.
Ghana recognised the need for a reliable power supply system early in its nationhood by securing the support of external partners to establish the Akosombo hydro electric dam.
That was followed later by the construction of the Kpong Dam, the Aboadze Thermal Plant and the installation of generating sets at some vantage points in the country.
However, power generation and supply face many challenges because of resource constraints and the attitude of consumers. In recent times, the Volta River Authority (VRA), the Ghana Grid Company (GriDco) and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) have come under severe criticism for poor service delivery or intermittent outages.
Quite a substantial percentage of the power generated is unaccounted for because of the use of obsolete distribution systems and illegal connections. Some of these challenges account for the frequent hikes in utility tariffs, compelling consumers, both commercial and domestic, to protest against poor services.
Consumers have always petitioned the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) against upward adjustments in tariffs because of poor services, but the utility companies have always countered any such petition with the explanation that they need realistic tariffs in order to meet operational costs and fix the system.
Officials of these companies are always at their wits’ end, especially in the cities and urban areas, trying hard to deal with the intransigence of some of their consumers.
Residents of these urban areas, notably the emerging communities, always besiege the offices of the utility companies for power and when the services are not forthcoming, they resort to third parties who use illegal means to supply the services.
The time has come for better collaboration between private developers and estate developers, on the one side, and the utility companies, on the other, so that the provision of power is factored into the construction of new communities.
The Daily Graphic believes that this collaboration will reduce the incidence of abuse of the system by which those looking for power bypass the existing structures.
It appears that the ECG is overwhelmed by the high demand for power supply, to such an extent that many consumers are compelled to use unofficial means to get power.
The Daily Graphic, therefore, welcomes the acquisition of 10,000 prepaid meters with features to enable the ECG to monitor any attempt by consumers to tamper with the running of the meters.
We urge the ECG to step up its efforts at providing more prepaid meters for all its consumers to reduce the rate of default in the payment of bills.
It has taken the ECG far too long, since 1994 when the first prepaid meters were introduced, to provide every facility with prepaid meters to help improve the revenue base of the company.
The Daily Graphic calls on the ECG to put its act together to provide efficient services for consumers following the upward adjustment in tariffs last year.
We believe there are no grounds for excuse on the part of the utility companies. Rather, consumers demand improved services.