ECG cracks down on power theft, launching nationwide audits and disconnection of illegal electricity.
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) deployed power visibility teams across the country on Monday to audit and inspect meters as part of efforts to combat power theft and illegal connections.
The teams will be inspecting power meters at both residential and commercial properties.
The Accra East Region team disconnected one commercial facility in East Legon and issued an appearance notice for power theft and illegal connection.
The exercise came after a month-long amnesty for all customers involved in illegal connections to report it for rectification or face sanctions if caught.
The amnesty began on June 7 and ended on July 20 to allow for the correction of illegalities and the fight against power losses.
Earlier, at a brief ceremony in Accra to mark the start of the teams' deployment, ECG's Managing Director, Samuel Dudik Mahama, stated that the teams' primary goal would be to assist in the recovery of revenue for power consumed.
He explained that the meter audit would include checks on the meter to see if it had been tampered with and to evaluate its reading capabilities.
He stated that the checks would allow the power distribution company to determine the amount of power delivered to a specific location as well as any losses or revenue incurred during a given period.
"This exercise is required for us to identify customers who use our power without paying for it." We understand that our company's losses are not technical, but rather commercial.
"The meter is the ECG's property, and no one has the authority to touch it." "We learn the amount of power delivered to a specific area, as well as the corresponding revenue or losses," Mr. Mahama added.
He urged all customers to cooperate with the task force, warning that "any customer who resists our checks will have their power disconnected by removing the service cable."
Customers who are found to have tampered with their power meters will have 48 hours to report to their respective ECG meter offices for reconciliation and any necessary sanctions, he said.
Failure to do so by a customer, he said, would leave the ECG with no choice but to arrest and prosecute them.
Mr. Mahama stated that power theft had hampered the company's growth, claiming that it had lost more than US$100 million as a result of the threat.
He advised the team members to conduct themselves professionally and honestly during the exercise.
"Be professional in your demeanor. Make yourself visible to the consumer by identifying yourself.
"Let us not allow unscrupulous people to use the exercise to engage in illegal activities; do well to report any customer who does not cooperate with the team," he said.
According to Bismark Otoo, General Manager of Accra East ECG, the teams' mission is to reduce the company's commercial losses.
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