The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has authorized an increase of 21.55% for water and 27.15% for electricity effective 1 September 2022.
This was contained in a press release issued by PURC on Monday, 15 August 2022.
Acknowledging the economic hardship faced by Ghanaians, the commission said it needed the increase for utility providers to meet their demands.
“In balancing interests of the service providers and consumers, the PURC acknowledged that the very economic variables that have occasioned the steep increases proposed by the service providers also affect the consumers.”
“The Commission, however, admitted that some level of increases in utility tariffs were inevitable if the nation was to avoid another power crisis and its attendant effects, including job losses. PURC, therefore, decided to increase the average end-user tariff for electricity by 27.15% and water by 21.55%, effectively 1 September,” the release explained.
In separate proposals to the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), the two companies indicated that the increment would help their respective companies to stay afloat amidst the rising cost of operations.
ECG, for instance, proposed tariffs to go up by 148%, while the GWCL pushed for a nearly 326% hike.
However, the increments expected in the coming weeks will not be as high as the utility companies had proposed.