The Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) has retrieved GH¢ 215,704.64 for the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) in the Bono, Ahafo and the Bono East regions under the Self-Help Electrification Project (SHEP) for the first quarter of this year.
The Bono Regional Manager of PURC, Patrick Antwi, who disclosed this in an interview with the media said, GH¢ 33,945.45 was also refunded to customers of GWCL and NEDCo within the same period.
“What the commission normally focuses on is the impact of its activities, and we make sure that the SHEP project that was carried out was quite impactful. In fact, out of this particular program we were able to make sure that about 566 SHEP meters were captured”.
According to the Bono Regional Manager of the PURC, Patrick Antwi, a total of 365 complaints were made for the first quarter of this year with 98.4 percent successfully resolved.
Additionally, he stated that 68 poles were replaced, 6 transformers were installed and 566 SHEP uncaptured meters were captured into NEDco’s system for billing.
“People who have been given meters wrongfully are now being captured into the system of NEDCo, so meter readers can now go to their various homes and take reading and make sure that they are billed and of course this is going to improve upon their revenue collection for the coming years”.
Patrick Antwi said the SHEP has been impactful and would continue for the rest of the year.
He continued to say the second quarter of this year will focus on a program dubbed “Bridging the Gap” under which PURC forums would be held on the premises of the Utility Companies for consumers.
Patrick Antwi said they would also continue with the Tariff Reckoner and Consumption Estimator App education to make sure consumers are not short-changed in Billing.
By Philip Ampofo
