ECG installs 2,853 prepaid meters in offices, bungalows, ministries and departments
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has installed 2,853 prepaid meters in the offices and bungalows of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
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The exercise to install the prepaid meters is in response to a directive by the government in 2010 to the ECG to install prepaid meters in all MDAs to curb the abuse of electricity.
Although some of the MDAs resisted the exercise in the initial stages, the company identified that there were 3,214 post-paid meters in the MDAs that needed to be replaced with prepaid ones.
Consequently, between 2011 and March 2015, it has installed meters in most of the MDAs, while 361 post-paid meters are yet to be changed.
Work ongoing
When the Daily Graphic visited some of the MDAs, it observed that some of them were using prepaid meters, while some post-paid meters were yet to be replaced.
While the ministries of Water Resources, Works and Housing; Gender, Children and Social Protection; Roads and Highways and Energy had their post-paid meters replaced with prepaid ones, others such as the ministries of the Interior; Employment and Labour Relations; and Health were still using the old ones.
The Public Relations Manager of the ECG, Mr William Boateng, told the Daily Graphic that work was still ongoing to ensure that all the MDAs had prepaid meters.
However, he said the nationwide rollout experienced some challenges, leading
to delays.
“Places such as Suhum, Mpraeso, Akwatia, all in the Eastern Region, and the Ashanti Region are not prepaid zones and so we cannot install the prepaid meters there. We are yet to roll out the prepaid in these areas,” he said.
Vital installations
Mr Boateng explained that some MDAs, such as the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and the VAT office, would take a long while to replace their post-paid meters, considering the use of high capacity devices in their operations.
“We have to do rewiring and separation, so that we can give them multiple prepaid meters to take care of the huge load,” he said.
He said the residential areas at hospitals would have their post-paid meters replaced with prepaid ones, while the theatres and other departments would be left to operate on the post-paid meters.
“The company is mindful of our social responsibility and despite the fact that we are a commercial entity, we will make sure that we do not take decisions that will jeopardise the health of the people,” he said.
Mr Boateng indicated that the directive was to assist the company to improve on its finances and reduce the government’s high indebtedness to the ECG.