TIG Post

Tag: electricity

  • Electricity records -35.6% inflation

    The Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages Division recorded a year-on-year inflation rate of 13.8%, the Ghana Statistical Service has announced on Wednesday July 15.

    According to the GSS, this is 1.3 percentage points lower than May 2020 (15.1%), but 5.9 percentage points higher than the average over the eight months preceding March 2020 (7.9%).

    Within the Food Division, Vegetables (28.8%) and Fruits and Nuts (17.4% ) were the Subclasses with the highest rates of inflation.

    Month-on-month the inflation for Fruits and Nuts stood at 3.0% while Vegetables recorded a negative inflation of -2.1%.

    As Food contributed 54.4% to year-on-year inflation, it is still the predominant driver of year-on-year inflation, but it contributed less than the previous two months.

    Month-on-month Food inflation was 0.1%, which is less than the overall month-on-month inflation and the month-on-month Food inflation in May (2.3%) and April 2020 (6.4%).

    Non-food inflation came in at 9.2%, which is higher than the 8.4% measured in May 2020. Like last month, the Division with the highest month-on-month inflation was Housing, Water, Electricity and Gas (5.4%).

    Compared to earlier months, Housing, Water, Electricity and Gas (20%) also contributed more to year-on-year inflation. This is driven by an increase in Rent prices and inflation for refuse collection

    The Non-Food Subclasses with the lowest inflation were Fuels and Lubricants for Personal Transport Equipment (-13.5%), Electricity (-35.6%) and Electric Appliances for Personal Care (-66.9%).

    Source: laudbusiness.com

  • Covid-19 and electricity generation: Why I think the comparison is a mockery of common sense

    Have you listened to the comparison between the Covid-19 pandemic and electricity generation in Ghana? Was it a harmonious sound blended of soprano, attenuated by a bass, highly pitched by a tenor or smoothened by an alto singer? It simply never was a harmony. Forever, I think, it remains cacophony that is a mockery of common sense.

    The reasons are not far-fetched as might be the case. Mathematically, fractions can best be compared when there is a common denominator. Do not be confused. Simply put, it is out of common sense to have a chameleon paired with a cheetah in a race. That would not be fair.  To have a good comparison, it could be a cheetah of North America with a cheetah from Africa. A better one will be, comparing chameleon from North Africa to that from South Africa in a race, because they have a common base which is the Africa continent. At best, you can do a cheetah from Tema, and that from Accra and that would be deemed most fair.  Same continent, same region, same district and possibly dwelling in the same environment with same climatic conditions. That is why I am amazed at comparing the Covid-19 crisis to the lack of electricity generation. Kilowatts and Watts (Electricity) cannot be compared with degrees Celsius (Temperature).

    Coronavirus pandemic has not touched base with electricity generation at all. In fact, the two are dichotomized and highly polarized like the sky from Kalahari Desert. Coronavirus pandemic is a global situation but the electricity generation was domestic. Coronavirus and for that matter, Covid-19 had directives, guidance and indeed clear set of protocols dictated by WHO. Electricity generation had no such protocols.  Per the nature of Covid-19, a regular update is necessary as part of the solution and that is not the case of electricity generation. COVID 19, relies on Ghana Health Service and already established hospital facilities to tackle the situation. The generation of electricity does require an immediate building of electricity generation units.  Indeed, whiles there might be a need to build more hospitals, doing that immediately is not a panacea to the problem of Covid-19.  Nevertheless, building electrical power and purchasing electrical power generation units were immediately needed and remained the necessary and sufficient condition to stop “Dumsor”.

    Covid-19 could kill people in a matter of days if not hours, the lack of electricity might do so perhaps in months and years. Covid-19 requires a lockdown. Since 1957, when Ghana attained independence as a nation, there are villages in districts that are yet to have electricity. Such villages have never suffered a lockdown due to a lack of electricity. Covid-19 requires that we wash our hands frequently, the lack of electricity generation has no such requirement. Thus, the free water and the reduction in electricity cost, are simply part of the indirect solutions to Covid-19. Covid-19 requires all public gatherings to stop, but I remember keeping wake in social gathering for departed souls without electricity in the past in my village. Without electricity, we were still going to schools but Covid-19 will simply not allow that. I could go on and on!

    So, where lies the common trait underlying comparison of Covid-19 with electricity generation? This is just a mockery of common sense! Such a comparison is not only inhumane but an insult to the intellectual independence of voters. The comparison demonstrated the extent to which politicians could go to play the advantage even on the verge of all of us dying. In a nutshell, it is a demonstration of how politicians can stop at nothing, just to have their grip firmly. I am simply stunned!

    Emmanuel Mensz Mensah Amevor is a Project Management Professional (PMP) and Financial Expert (MBA).

    Disclaimer : “Opinions expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not in any way reflect those of tigpost.co. Our outfit will hereby not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article.”

     

  • Damongo: VRA/NEDCo must compensate us for damaging our electrical gadgets – Residents

    Residents of the Savannah Regional capital Damongo are up in arms against the Volta River Authority (VRA) and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) after a sudden high voltage supply across homes and Public facilities at about 12:00 midday on Friday, April 24, 2020, resulting in the destruction of electrical appliances such as TV sets, woofers, radio sets, laptops, refrigerators and a host of other electrical gadgets.

  • Free electricity to cost Ghana ¢1bn in 3 months Energy Minister

    Government is spending a whopping 1 billion cedis on the electricity relief package announced by President Nana Akufo-Addo to cushion Ghanaians for the next three months amid the deadly coronavirus outbreak in the country.

    The amount will a total of 4.8 million electricity meters across the country, Energy Minister John Peter Amewu announced Thursday

    More soon

     

    Source: 3News.com 

  • 50% electricity tariffs reduction not Mahamas idea Okoe Boye

    Deputy Minister-Designate for Health, Dr Bernard Oko-Boye has rebuffed claims that the decision to reduce electricity tariffs in order to cushion consumers as a result of the coronavirus was the idea of former President John Dramani Mahama.

    There have been arguments that the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) muted the idea with sections of Ghanaians showering praises on him but the MP Ledzokuku Constituency in the Greater Accra Region thinks he does not deserve such praises.

    “My checks revealed Minister of Health announced the policy on 28th of March [2020] and our former President John Mahama spoke on the same policy on the 4th of April which is the few days after the Minister has spoken so it cannot be true John Mahama is the person who pushed for the reduction”, the lawmaker contended during a TV show MyNewsGh.com monitored.

    The former president is being heavily praised on social media for his thoughtful proposals concerning the fight against the coronavirus in Ghana which the government of the day is implementing.

    Mr Mahama had called for the reduction of electricity, water and data aimed at ameliorating the plight of consumers in lockdown areas especially.

    But Dr. Bernard Oko-Boye stated “even though if the reduction came from former President John Mahama it is good but he is not the one who told the government to reduce electricity tariff”

     

    Source: mynewsgh.com

  • Use free water and electricity wisely Akufo-Addo begs Ghanaians

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged the vulnerable in society to use electricity wisely.

    He made this statement in his sixth Coronavirus broadcast on Thursday, April 9, 2020.

    In the recorded broadcast, the president announced that those who will enjoy free electricity and water, as well as other consumers who fall outside of this category, who will also enjoy a 50 per cent reduction in the cost of electricity for the next three months should judiciously use the utilities provided.

    In his address, he said: “We have decided further measures of mitigation for Ghanaians for the next three months…Government will fully absorb electricity bills for the poorest of the poor, i.e.: lifeline consumers. This will cover persons who consume 0 to 50-kilowatt hours per month for this period. This forms part of relief interventions by the state amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. Other categories of consumers will enjoy a 50 percent discount within the same period. For all other consumers, residential and commercial, the government will absorb 50 percent of your electricity bill for this period using your March 2020 bill as the benchmark.”


    “Nevertheless, I urge all Ghanaians to exercise discipline in the use of water and electricity,” he stressed.

    President Akufo-Addo in his previous address to the nation announced that the government will absorb the water bills for all Ghanaians for the next three months, that is, April, May and June.

    Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo urged all water tankers operators, both public and private, to mobilize and ensure that there is constant water supply to all vulnerable communities.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Ghanaians would have enjoyed free electricity under Mahama Sammy Gyamfi

    National Communications Officer for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi has said that the COVID-19 relief packages announced by the Akufo-Addo-led administration are not enough since free electricity for all Ghanaians was not included in these support packages.

    According to Sammy Gyamfi, there is no iota of doubt that Ghanaians would have been enjoying free electricity in addition to other packages if former President John Dramani Mahama was at the helm of affairs at such a trying time.

    Speaking on GH One Television on Wednesday, April 8, 2020, Sammy Gyamfi explained that the NDC understands that a significant number of Ghanaians remain at home currently and are unable to work to make money to feed themselves and their dependents hence the need for government interventions at such a difficult time.

    In view of this, the NDC administration, headed by John Dramani Mahama would have offered what he describes as a”non-negotiable” free electricity tariffs to every Ghanaian since the source of income for many have ceased.

    “Let me, first of all, reiterate the recommendation for free electricity to be provided for Ghanaians because that, for the NDC, especially HE John Dramani Mahama, is non-negotiable. I can tell you unequivocally that if President John Dramani Mahama was President of the Republic, Ghana would have been enjoying free electricity by now,” the vociferous communicator stressed.

    He continued, “It should have been a given, there should not be any contestation about it. People are living in the house they are consuming more electricity yet they are not working so how do you expect them to pay for electricity? These are not normal times.”

    Meanwhile, after the announcement of several relief packages including the absorption of water bills, some Ghanaians have lauded President Akufo-Addo for his strategies to mitigate the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Ghanaians.

    Others have also taken to social media to mock the former President expressing that he is not in the same league with President Akufo-Addo, insisting, the former President could not have handled the situation any better than President Akufo-Addo.

    Source: ABCNewsgh.com

  • I will absorb 50% of your light bills – Agric Nzema chief

    Residents of Agric Nzema in the Ashanti region would have 50% of their electricity bills absorbed by their Chief, Nana Nkansah Boadu Ayeboafo.

    The initiative is to lessen the burden the coronavirus pandemic is having on home – especially those whose businesses have been hit hard.

    The Government of Ghana has declared a partial lockdown and put in place measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus. For this reason, priority has be given to people offering essential services making it difficult for some majority to go about their daily businesses.

    It is for this reason that the Chief of Agric Nzema has stepped in to offload the pressure paying of electricity bills would bring to his people.

    Aside the pledge to pay for their electricity bills, Nana Nkansah Boadu Ayeboafo, has also supported his people with assorted items.

    The respected chief personally purchased two thousand (2000) bags of rice, two thousand (2000) boxes of vegetable cooking oil and thousand (2000) boxes of sardines.

    In an interaction with the media after donating the items to his people, Nana Nkansah Boadu Ayeboafo explained that he was concerned about the welfare of his people and would always be around to support them as every leader is expected to do.

    He also revealed that aside the food items he has given out, he has made provision to give every person especially those whose businesses have been affected an amount of GHC50 to support their livelihood.

    Source: peacefmonline.com

  • Cut electricity tariff CUTS Ghana urges PURC

    Cuts Ghana, a research and public policy think tank, has called on the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) to review electricity tariffs for all classes of electricity consumers.

    Mr Appiah Kusi Adomako, the Country Director of CUTS Ghana, said in a statement that currently, the cost of energy supply is going down across the world, hence the PURC must also review electricity prices downward.

    “In the light of the falling prices of the key input fuel for power generation in the world market, it is fair and reasonable for the PURC to consider immediate review of electricity tariffs to give relief to businesses and consumers.

    “From the last review of tariffs when it took effect from July 1st, 2019, the Commission made their tariffs determination based on some key assumptions, which have changed substantially.

    “With respect to natural gas and heavy fuel oil (HFO) as fuel for generation of electrical energy for the 2019-2020 tariff period, the Commission approved a US$ 6.08/MMBtu as the Weighted Average Delivered Price of Gas and US$ 390/Metric Tonne for HFO,” the statement said.

    It further stated that “now, with the fall in demand for crude oil and natural gas, the current price for natural gas has fallen from $6.07/MMBtu in July 2019 to $1.8/MMtu as of today. At the same time, crude oil has fallen to about $20 per barrel”.

    “According to the Ministry of Energy, the total installed capacity for existing plants in Ghana is 4,132MW consisting of Hydro 38%, Thermal 61% and Solar less than 1%. Since about two-third of Ghana energy mix is from thermal sources which use either natural gas or crude oil which has seen a drastic fall in prices from the previous review, the Commission should as a matter of priority consider tariffs review.

    “All over the world, countries that depend on natural gas and fuel have seen prices of electricity going down and for that reason Ghana cannot be an exception to this obvious reality.

    “As it has always been the case for tariff review in Ghana whereby utility providers submit proposals to the PURC for upward review, today, we the consumers of electricity in Ghana are calling on the Commission to act in the interest of electricity consumers and review prices down.”

    Source: classfmonline.com

  • ‘Relocate or face demolition’ GRIDCo orders encroachers

    The Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) on Wednesday directed all persons and institutions that had encroached on lands bordering its transmission lines, to take immediate steps to relocate or face demolition.

    GRIDCo noted that the presences of these individuals and companies poses risks to public safety and the need for regular maintenance works on the lines by the company.

    “We are ready to undertake demolition exercises, where necessary, as part of our mandate to move unauthorized structures from the power transmission lines which is a prohibited zone to ensure the right thing is done,” GRIDCo stated.

    Mr Jonathan Amoako-Baah, GRIDCo Chief Executive, in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, said the company may even be compelled to surcharge the costs incurred during such exercises to the encroachers.

    He reiterated that it was an offence for persons or institutions to conduct any form of activity in relation to the lands around the location of power transmission lines.

    He said under the Transmission Line Protection Regulations, 1967 (LI 542) as amended by Regulation No. LI 1737 of 2004, it was an offence to undertake any business near the power transmission lines, which was a prohibited zone.

    Illegal activities identified near the power transmission lines included drilling, excavating, lorry parks, shops, garages, bars, real estate, among others who are operating illegally in the area extending up to 20 meters on each side from the centre line of the transmission.

    He stated that these activities by the encroachers poses a great danger to human life and property as transmission line faults could result in casualties and damage to properties and outage to customers could also be prolonged due to restricted access to the Right-of-Ways.

    “We are very concerned with this trend across the country. Though we have chalked some success by ejecting some encroachers, others have remained adamant,” he said.

    Mr Amoako-Baah noted that over the years, they had carried out a lot of sensitisation programmes through the print and electronic media, Information Services Department campaigns and joint engagements with Municipal Assemblies.

    He said they were committed to carrying out their mandate as a power transmitter and will do whatever was necessary to prevent interferences.

    He indicated that GRIDCo had over the past years notified encroachers along its transmission towers and lands of the risk associated with their activities in the prohibited zones.

    He further stated that GRIDCo was working with the relevant state institutions to remove properties and structures and to curb all forms of human activities, within the Right-of-Ways, to safeguard public safety and ensure reliability of electricity supply.

    Source: GNA

  • ECG begins mass replacement of smart meters in Western region

    As part of plans to face out the none smart prepaid meters in the Western Region, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has begun a mass replacement exercise to install the newly introduced smart prepayment meters.

    The mass replacement exercise is currently concentrating on Effiakuma in the Effia-Kwesimintim Municipal Assembly (EKMA) due to the frequent losses the company incurs through illegal connections coupled with the commercial nature of the area.

    This was made known by Mr. Benjamin Quarcoo, Western Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO) of ECG in an interview.

    He explained that majority of the prepaid meters in the Sekondi-Takoradi-Agona areas are not smart, however, new applicants are given the new smart meters while customers whose meters have developed faults and needs replacement are given the new smart meters.

    He pointed out that the prepayment meters were introduced to minimize the losses in the system.

    According to him, electronic meters work within a particular period of time after which they become outmoded hence, the need to replace them and for that matter, the replacement process would be extended to cover the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) and the Ahanta West Municipal Assembly (AWMA) gradually.

    He enlightened that the new smart meters come with Mobile Application (ECG Mobile App) which can be used to make payment on all postpaid metered accounts and selected smart prepayment meters in the system.

    He was of the hope that the new smart meters would enable the company clamp down on customers who tempers with the meters and engage in all forms of illegality on the meters since he could monitor and trace the meters from his office.

    Source: Daniel Kaku, Contributor

  • Current shortfall in electricity supply to end next week – Deputy Energy Minister

    The Energy Ministry says frequent power cuts in parts of the country over the past weeks will ease by the first week of March 2020.

    Deputy Minister, William Owuraku Aidoo told JoyNews on Tuesday that ongoing repair works on the gas pipeline from Nigeria to Ghana, which caused the outages, are almost complete and supply will return to normal.

    “This is going to be for just a few more days, and we will come to normal… It is not as people have been saying that ‘dumsor’ is back and we’ve gone back to the bad old days again, no. This is work that needed to be done to ensure the integrity of the pipeline and gas supply to our generators,” Mr. Owuraku Aidoo said on Newsnite.

    “We apologise for the inconvenience… the engineers are working,” he said.

    The Deputy Minister, however, recalled an announcement from his outfit on January 18, 19 and 20 informing the public of the scheduled “…major works on the pipeline, the 500 km pipeline from Nigeria to Ghana which supplies gas to mainly the Tema enclave, that there was going to be cleaning out [in] the gas pipeline and check on the integrity of the inner lining of the gas pipeline.”

    “We did take steps to try and reduce to the barest minimum the interruptions in the power supply because we shouldn’t forget that Ghana, of course, we have our own indigenous gas that we can flow from the west to the east, but unfortunately because of this work, the gas from the west to the east, that is from Takoradi to the Tema enclave could not also be supplied,” Mr. Aidoo added.

    He gave the assurance that gas will be introduced through the Tema end of the pipeline and supply will come back to normal once the repair works are done.

    According to the Deputy Minister, a back-up arrangement to ensure the public did not suffer the impact of the exercise, hit a snag after some power plants expected to generate about 400 megawatts, went off.

    “The Kpone Thermal Plant, we’ve lost one of the generators, which is giving us something in the region of 100 megawatts. We have also lost the TICO Plant [Takoradi International Plant], we’ve lost parts of it as well, which were not foreseen. We made all these plans and unfortunately this has happened. Cenpower also, we were taking 180, a combination of 360, one turbine is gone off losing 180 so when we combine these unforeseen generators that have gone off…, right now we are losing something in the region of between 100 and 200 megawatts.

    “The plants that have gone down that I have enumerated amounts to well over 300, almost 400 megawatts, so that is what has caused this problem but like I said, this is going to be for a few more days and we will come back to normalcy. So I’ll apologise once again on behalf of the Ministry of Energy that we will come back to normal. It is not as people have been saying that ‘dumsor’ is back and we’ve gone back to the bad old days again, no. This is work that needed to be done to ensure the integrity of the pipeline and gas supply to our generators.”

     

    Source: Myjoyonline.com

  • Burnt high tension cables pose threat to Tema residents

    An exposed high tension cables at Tema heavy industrial area behind the Tema Oil Refinery is gradually becoming a death trap to companies and locals.

    The base of the pole has been over-exposed as a result of continuous burns. The heedless activities of the trespassers often lead to intermittent power cuts in the community.

    Read: Volta River Authority calls for competitive priced electricity tariff regime

    The high tension cables have caught fire four times this year and rendered many parts of the City without electricity.

    The first burn happened on 23rd January, 2019; the second happened on 25th February, 2019, the third and fourth happened on 19th July and 16th August, 2019 respectively.

    Close sources tell the SVTV Africa team that, the Electricity Company of Ghana are careless about the situation since the high tension has been abandoned for a long time.

    Some concerns raised by the locals is that the burning of electricity cables and poles is dangerous to human lives since the situation could result in the loss of revenue which could have been directed into improving the value and reliability of the distribution network.

    What resulted in the several burns of the cables is unknown but the company have to work around the clock to clamp down on perpetrators of such activities.

    Read: 47 communities in Bongo to be connected to electricity DCE

    Burnt poles

    In 2017, The Electricity Company of Ghana lost 78 high tension and 49 low tension poles across the 10 operational districts in the central region, particularly in the Saltpond, Cape Coast, Assin Fosu and the Kasoa North districts.

    In 2016, The Central Regional office of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) spent GH¢94,671.24 to replace burnt electric poles.

    As at the time of filing this report, all efforts to get ECG or GRIDCO to rectify the situation has proven futile but the team at SVTV Africa is still working on to speak to the ECG see the measures the company is putting up to resolve the situation.

     

    Source: svtvafrica.com