Omanghana
The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission has directed the Electricity Company of Ghana to take corrective action over recurring power outages, delays in supplying meters and persistent failures affecting prepaid electricity services.
The directive follows compliance-monitoring exercises that exposed operational and customer-service deficiencies at several ECG offices, particularly within the Ashanti Region.
PURC warned that unresolved service failures inconvenience customers, weaken confidence in the electricity distributor and contribute to technical and commercial losses.
The regulator expects ECG to submit practical corrective measures and has indicated that follow-up inspections will be conducted to determine whether the identified problems have been resolved.
Frequent Power Interruptions Disrupt Services
PURC expressed concern about repeated localized outages and unstable electricity supply in some ECG operational districts.
During inspections at Abuakwa and Asokwa, the Commission found that frequent power interruptions were disrupting customer-service activities and extending waiting times for people seeking assistance.
The regulator urged ECG to strengthen maintenance and fault-response systems to reduce the frequency and duration of outages.
Emergency faults must be addressed promptly, while customers should receive timely information about the affected areas and expected restoration periods.
For planned maintenance, electricity suppliers are required to notify consumers in advance and provide an estimated duration of the interruption. Notices may be issued publicly or communicated directly through telephone calls, text messages, email and other appropriate channels.
PURC said effective communication is particularly important because consumers need accurate information to plan around interruptions and protect homes, businesses and electrical equipment.
ECG Told to Accelerate Meter Supply
Delays in acquiring and installing electricity meters were another major concern identified during the monitoring exercise.
Customers have reported long waiting periods for new connections, separate meters and replacements for damaged or outdated prepaid units.
At Asokwa, shortages and delays involving meter enclosures were found to be slowing the completion of new service connections.
PURC directed ECG to improve coordination across the meter procurement, allocation and installation process. It said applicants who have completed all required procedures should not be subjected to indefinite delays.
ECG’s published service commitments state that a new connection should generally be completed within three working days when an existing supply line is available. Where an extension of up to two electricity poles is required, the process should generally be completed within five working days after the customer has paid the approved charges.
A separate meter connection is also expected to be completed within three working days once the applicant has met the conditions and paid the required amount.
L.I. 2413 Sets Consumer-Service Requirements
PURC reminded electricity distributors and other public utilities of their obligations under the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (Consumer Service) Regulations, 2020, known as Legislative Instrument 2413.
The regulations cover new service connections, billing, metering, complaints management, disconnections, reporting and enforcement.
They also define the responsibilities of utility providers and the rights and obligations of consumers.
PURC has previously identified delays in new electricity connections, prolonged estimated billing and slow replacement of poles and meters as recurring areas of non-compliance.
Electricity-supply reliability and outage requirements are also governed by the Electricity Supply and Distribution (Standards of Performance) Regulations, 2008, or L.I. 1935.
The regulatory instruments are listed on PURC’s official website.
Prepaid Vending Platforms Record Failures
The Commission also uncovered several problems affecting ECG’s prepaid metering and vending systems.
Transactions conducted through the MMS platform sometimes failed to post, preventing customers from loading purchased electricity credit onto their meters.
Users of MMS and Enersmart systems also complained about unusually rapid depletion of prepaid credit.
Other identified difficulties included synchronization delays, system latency and the inability to reverse transactions when customers or vendors entered incorrect information.
These failures contributed to congestion at ECG customer-service offices and third-party vending locations as consumers sought help with unsuccessful purchases.
Enersmart receipts were also found not to display customers’ previous purchase records in some cases, contrary to regulatory expectations.
PURC directed ECG and licensed vendors to improve the reliability of their platforms and establish faster procedures for correcting unsuccessful or incorrectly processed transactions.
Vending Centers Face Operational Challenges
Some third-party vending centers were operating with inadequate supplies of receipt paper, while vendors complained about low commission rates.
PURC warned that unresolved commercial and operational problems could threaten the sustainability of the vending network and reduce customers’ access to electricity credit.
The Commission said ECG must ensure that authorized vending centers have the materials, technical support and incentives required to provide reliable services.
Consumers should also receive complete receipts containing the relevant purchase and account information for every transaction.
Long Queues Recorded at Customer Centers
Customer-management problems were identified at some ECG district offices.
At Kwabre, the absence of a real-time queue-management system contributed to prolonged waiting periods. System delays also increased congestion because staff could not process customer requests efficiently.
PURC urged ECG to introduce systems that allow customers and managers to track queues and waiting times in real time.
The regulator also expects customer-service employees to attend promptly to complaints and avoid activities or conversations that distract them from their official duties.
The Commission said consumers should be given clear information about application requirements, complaint status and the estimated time needed to resolve faults.
Delays Affect Local Revenue Protection System
PURC identified delays in the Local Revenue Protection tracking system at Ayigya between October 2025 and January 2026.
Revenue-protection operations are intended to identify illegal connections, meter tampering and other activities that result in electricity losses.
Failure to track and resolve cases promptly may allow unauthorized connections to continue while legitimate customers bear the consequences of weakened service delivery.
At Kwabre, the Commission recorded increasing cases of illegal connections and meter interference. PURC said such activities create safety risks and increase both technical and commercial losses for ECG.
The regulator called for stronger monitoring and enforcement while emphasizing that revenue-protection exercises must be conducted lawfully and transparently.
ECG Must Improve Public Communication
PURC instructed ECG to communicate more proactively with consumers during outages, maintenance work and technical failures affecting prepaid services.
The utility is expected to provide clear information on the cause of disruptions, the communities affected and the likely restoration time.
PURC has repeatedly emphasized that consumers should not have to depend on rumors or unofficial social-media reports for information about electricity supply.
ECG currently publishes notices about planned maintenance and emergency outages through its website and other communication channels. The regulator wants those notices to be timely, accurate and accessible to consumers in affected communities.
Regulator Plans Follow-Up Inspections
PURC said ECG must develop actionable plans for correcting the deficiencies identified during the monitoring exercise.
The plans are expected to include timelines, responsible officers and measurable actions covering power reliability, meter installations, prepaid vending, queue management and customer communication.
The Commission will use follow-up field inspections and performance assessments to determine whether ECG has complied with the directives.
Failure to meet the required service standards could result in the use of regulatory enforcement mechanisms available to PURC.
The regulator said dependable electricity service involves more than supplying power. It also requires functional payment systems, timely connections, accurate information and accessible customer support.
Resolving the identified shortcomings, PURC stressed, is necessary to rebuild consumer confidence and improve the overall quality of electricity distribution in Ghana.
Source: Omanghana
