The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) says it has concluded preliminary investigations into the recent power outages.

To this end, PURC plans to ascertain the liabilities incurred by consumers due to the power cuts and possibly compensate them for the losses.

The Commission established through its regulatory monitoring that the erratic power supply, coupled with low voltages especially during peak hours, was caused by a number of factors across the value chain of electricity supply.

“Following the conclusion of the preliminary investigations, the Commission in accordance with its regulatory processes is ascertaining the liability and possibility of compensation to consumers in recognition of any loss occasioned by the erratic power supply.”

“The Commission further encourages consumers to report any case of damaged equipment to the nearest ECG/NEDCO office for the appropriate action failing which the report may be forwarded to the PURC for redress,” a statement from the PURC added.
Factors to blame for outages

According to the PURC, reasons leading to the blackouts experienced in the country include, but are not limited to the following:

Technical challenges in the natural gas supply network;
New transmission infrastructure being constructed on the National Interconnected ‘Transmission System (NITS).
Planned and unplanned maintenance activities on aspects of the NITS.
Reduction in reactive power support in the mid-portion of the country.
Emergency upgrade and modification works on the NITS to increase reactive power support and improve voltages in the mid-portion of the country.

Since the beginning of 2021, parts of the country have consistently been plunged into a state of darkness often without prior notice.

The situation have affected the everyday lives of Ghanaians, especially those who rely on electricity to run their businesses. They have decried the impact of the situation on trading activities.

On social media, in particular, there has been a lot of conversation about the worrying trend with those suspecting a looming power crisis calling on authorities to publish a timetable if need be.

But, the power transmission company, the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) has reiterated that the situation is not being caused by generation challenges but rather, ongoing maintenance and repair works on a number of its equipment and plants.