E/R ECG recoups GH¢1.5 from illegal power connections, other illegalities
The Eastern Region Office of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) last year recovered GH₵ 1,539,986 from various forms of customer illegalities.
The illegalities covered most parts of the region, including 33 incidents of meter bypass, 37 meter tampering cases and 47 unauthorised service connections.
The General Manager of ECG in charge of the Eastern Region, Emmanuel Appoe, made this known at a media engagement held at Koforidua last Wednesday.
The event, which was attended by management and some staff of the company, was to give an account of the company's activities in the area last year and projects for this year.
Power theft
Mr Appoe said power theft and other illegalities were uncovered through the company's revenue protection and monitoring activities aimed at reducing commercial losses.
Mr Appoe explained that the company invested GH¢ 7,412,468 last year on various projects and stability in power supply.
The projects, he indicated, included the installation of eight transformers in areas with increasing load demands, upgrading of five lower capacity transformers to higher capacity and 40-network improvement extension projects.
Such projects, Mr Appoe said, enabled customers to enjoy stable power supply, stating that the company was also implementing a VIT Project, an initiative aimed at minimising the impact of power outages in the various operational areas. He indicated that all 14 districts in the area would benefit upon completion of the project.
Mr Appoe explained that maintenance teams would also benefit from that technology to isolate faults that would have caused power outages to wider areas.
He intimated that apart from the successes chalked up during the period, other negative activities from some unscrupulous persons, such as transformer vandalisation, hit-and-run, drivers, chainsaw operators, bush fires, and natural disasters such as windstorms, had impacted their services negatively.
Mr Appoe further explained that the region recorded 54 burnt poles due to bush fires, 13 incidents of vehicles running into transformers as well as some chainsaw operators felling trees on the company's infrastructure, resulting in long hours of power outages and additional operational costs.
Mr Appoe therefore appealed to the public to desist from indulging in such acts to enable his outfit to maintain a robust system to serve the region better.
Metering situation
On the metering situation in the area, he stated that the region had 466,123 active customer population made up of 312,913 postpaid and 153,210 prepaid customers, adding that the region was implementing the Loss Reduction Project (LRP) in seven districts, namely Koforidua, Tafo, Suhum, Kibi, Asamankese and Akim Oda to increase access to meters.
Mr Appoe indicated that the Asesewa District is currently piloting the project, pending approval for full implementation and that under the LRP, 69,033 prepaid meters had been installed in the seven districts.
Power outages. With regard to the current power outages in the region, especially Koforidua, he attributed the unfortunate situation to Gridco and expressed hope that the issue was being addressed.
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