PURC increases water, electricity tariffs
The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has revised upward utility tariffs effective Monday December 14, 2015.
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Electricity tariffs are to go up 59.2 per cent while that of water is to go up 67.2 per cent.
The Public Relations and External Affairs Manager at the PURC, Nana Yaa Jantuah announced this at a press conference in Accra on Monday.
The figures, she indicated, were arrived at after careful investigations on the proposals submitted by the various utility providers.
The increments, according to the PURC were to enable the utility providers have a clean balance sheet to be able to borrow from the financial market without recourse to government to finance their operations.
The utility providers had demanded 126 percentage increment for electricity and 400 percentage increment for water.
Nana Jantuah indicated that the minimal percentage increases in tariffs over the last couple of years have eroded the financial strength of the utility providers, and had subsequently saddled them with huge debts.
She described the percentage increases as one meant to put the providers on their feet, considering that their services have not been to the task.
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“We would have gone the full haul and accept their percentage increases, however, the power rationing factor made the Commission took a decision to maintain a minimal rate, while we await the kind of improvement that would come before we can consider any further upward increases”, she said.
“The new reflective tariffs would give them a clean balance sheet to enable them raise enough money for crude oil purchases for their operations”, Ms Jantuah indicated.