Regional News of Thursday, 26 November 2015

Source: GNA

ECG installs pre-paid meters at VRCC

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in the Volta Region has installed pre-paid meters at the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC) in Ho.

Other Departments and Agencies (MDAs) including Educational and Health Institutions would follow, a release signed by Mr Fred Baimbill-Johnson, Public Relations Officer, and copied to the Ghana News Agency indicated.

The ECG said it hoped to achieve 100 percent roll out within the Ho and Hohoe Districts soon, to be followed by other districts in the region.

The installation of the pre-paid meters, mandated by the Government is expected to boost the revenue profile of the ECG.

The release said VRCC’s indebtedness to ECG stood at One Hundred and Fifty Two Thousand Ghana cedis (GH¢ 152, 000.00).

In September, the ECG resolved to cut power supply to all departments under the Council for non-payment of accumulated electricity bills.

As part of its aggressive revenue mobilisation drive, the ECG in the Volta Region cut power supply to some key MDAs in the Region, including the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) and the Regional National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) office.

The release said management of the VRCC, however, met the ECG to negotiate terms of payment of the arrears.

Mr Sylvester Abrefa-Besea, the Regional Commercial Manager of ECG, said the decision to install a pre-paid meter for the Council did not nullify the agreed schedule to settle the arrears.

He said: “Installing a prepaid meter for the VRCC is mutually beneficial. While it makes it easy for ECG to collect our revenue; it prevents our customers from piling up debts and also allows them to control their electricity usage.”