PURC fines ECG, Board members hefty penalties over compliance failures

The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has fined the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and its Board Members over non-compliance with regulatory request for data and Cash Waterfall Mechanism under the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (Consumer Service) Regulations, 2020 (L.I. 2413). 

ECG has been specifically fined GHC36,000 for failing to submit all bank and investment accounts it currently operates, while its Board members are required to pay a hefty fine of GHS 5,868,000 for failure to comply with statutory notices on planned outages. 

The penalties come after ECG failed to honour requests for data by the PURC on three consecutive occasions.

In a statement Monday, PURC said: “As far as financial data submitted by ECG is concerned, the Commission found that details of ECG’s bank accounts submitted were incomplete, contrary to the Order.”

“For failure to submit details of all bank accounts to the Commission by the stated date, the Commission hereby imposes an initial regulatory charge of 3,000 penalty units on ECG in accordance with Regulation 45 of LI 2413, amounting to Thirty-six Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS36,000).”

“For that reason, in the interest of justice and to protect the interests of consumers, the Commission shall hold the Board Members of ECG who were in office between 1 January to 18 March 2024 liable for the payment of the Five Million, Eight Hundred and Sixty-Eight Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS 5,868,000.00). These Board Members were at all material times responsible for providing strategic direction to ensure the provision of safe, adequate, efficient, reasonable and non-discriminatory service to consumers,” the statement said. 

ECG has up to April 22 to pay the fine. 

Read full PURC statement below;