Jinapor says ECG needs to replace 2.9 million faulty meters

Energy Minister-designate John Jinapor says an approximate 2.9 million meters belonging to the Electricity Company of Ghana’s (ECG) requires urgent replacement as part of effort to improve revenue generation.

He said all these meter were not working well hence contributing to the revenue generation lapses for the ECG.

Responding to a question from Lawrence Agyinsam, MP for Hemang Lower Denkyira Constituency, about improving ECG revenue collection and the possibility of phasing out postpaid meters, Jinapor revealed concerning statistics about the current state of ECG’s metering system.

“Of ECG’s 5.2 million total meters, 4.8 million are active, but about 3 million of these are not functioning properly,” Jinapor stated during his vetting on Monday. He said this malfunction represents a significant obstacle to effective revenue collection for the utility company.

To address these challenges, the minister-designate outlined plans to modernize the system through smart metering technology.

The proposed solution includes making meters available for direct purchase by consumers, with installation to be handled by licensed technicians.

The new system will incorporate mobile money integration, allowing customers to activate their meters through a code-based system. “Because sometimes it costs people more than four or five times to spend money to get the meter. So if we make it readily available and use economies of scale, I’m sure the price will come down,” Mr Jinapor explained.