The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has donated 10 desktop computers and two laptops to the Institute for Oil and Gas Studies (IOGS) of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), as part of efforts to deepen collaboration between industry and academia in Ghana's energy sector.
The donation, presented at the university last Thursday, also provided the platform for the UCC delegation to raise pressing concerns over electricity metering and billing disputes with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), which it said had begun to disrupt academic activities on campus.
Speaking at the presentation, the Executive Secretary of PURC, Dr Shafic Suleman, said the gesture formed part of the commission's commitment to supporting teaching, learning and research, while fostering knowledge-sharing within the energy sector.
He said the donation reflected the PURC's recognition of the critical role universities play in producing the next generation of energy professionals and researchers and reaffirmed the commission's commitment to partnerships that promoted innovation, evidence-based policymaking and national development.
Receiving the items on behalf of the university, the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Denis Worlanyo Aheto, expressed gratitude to the PURC for what he described as a timely intervention that would enhance teaching, research and administrative work at the Institute for Oil and Gas Studies.
He gave the assurance that the university would maintain the equipment and ensure it was put to effective use in support of academic excellence.
Petition
Beyond the donation, the UCC delegation used the occasion to formally petition PURC over what it described as worsening electricity supply, metering and billing challenges affecting the institution, cautioning that the ongoing disputes with ECG required urgent redress.
A major point of contention was ECG's proposal to install prepaid meters across more than 700 building units on the university's campus.
The delegation said the proposal departed from an earlier agreement that limited metering upgrades to 32 critical facilities, a project for which the university had already committed over GH¢2 million.
The university appealed to the PURC to ensure that essential facilities, including libraries, laboratories and administrative offices, were exempted from prepaid metering and shielded from disconnection, while the billing dispute was being resolved.
Fair resolution
Responding, Dr Suleman assured the university of the commission's commitment to a fair and transparent resolution of the matter and indicated that PURC would formally engage ECG to suspend any planned disconnection pending a comprehensive review of the issues raised.
He announced that the commission would deploy a technical team to examine the university's billing records and verify claims made by both parties, adding that a facility-by-facility energy audit of the university could be undertaken, should the need arise to support the reconciliation process.
In the interim, Dr Suleman urged UCC to continue making reasonable monthly payments based on its average electricity consumption over the preceding 12 months, while the review was ongoing.
He said that although the reconciliation process could take several weeks or months, the commission would ensure the outcome was thorough, objective and satisfactory to all stakeholders.
