The Institute of Energy Security (IES) has thrown its support behind growing calls for the merger of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) and the Energy Commission of Ghana.

This proposal, which has been gaining traction among industry experts and policymakers, is seen as a way to streamline regulatory functions, reduce operational costs, and eliminate potential overlaps in the oversight of Ghana’s energy sector.

IES argues that combining the two regulatory bodies into a single entity will not only lead to cost savings but also enhance the overall efficiency and effectiveness of energy regulation in Ghana.

Executive Director of IES, Nana Amoasi IV, believes that a unified regulatory authority would significantly improve policy formulation and implementation within the sector, which he said is critical given the current challenges facing Ghana’s energy landscape.

Nana Amoasi IV stressed that merging the PURC and the Energy Commission would address some of the energy challenges by streamlining decision-making processes and reducing bureaucratic delays.

“Today’s power sector is played around regional bases. And in the West African power pool, all their regulators relative to the power, it is only one regulator. You don’t find PURC at one end and you don’t find an energy commission at one end. For policy formulation and implementation, I get from one command desk. So that is a good call.”