Chairman of Parliament’s Energy Committee, Emmanuel Bedzrah, has vowed never to approve any proposal brought forward by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
“As the Chairman of the Energy Committee, I will not approve of anything that ECG will bring to us,” he declared on Joy News’ PM Express on September 9.
Mr. Bedzrah’s stance comes in the wake of ECG’s request to the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) for a 225 per cent increase in its Distribution Service Charge.
The company insists the steep adjustment is necessary to prevent financial collapse and guarantee a stable electricity supply.
But the Energy Committee Chairman says he is resolute.
When host Evans Mensah pressed, “You mean what you mean?” he responded, “Yes, Zero. I just returned from abroad and on my own page. That is my committee’s WhatsApp platform. It was a bipartisan bashing of ECG. I mean, nobody will come to us with this.”
He explained that ECG’s recent history of tariff adjustments had already generated anger in Parliament.
“The last time they increased by 17% they came and we told them, well, you should have consulted and you didn’t consult. How can you increase the ECG tariff to 225%?”
Reflecting on his time as Ranking Member for Works and Housing and Water Resources, Mr. Bedzrah admitted his earlier position on utility tariffs was more flexible.
“Honestly, when I was on the other side of the aisle as the ranking member for Works and Housing and Water Resources, I remember, in one of our conversations with PURC, I told them that, well, I would even approve of about 300% for them at that time,” he said.
“But sitting here as the chairman of the Energy Committee, and listening to PRC, ECG and all the institutions that are under PRC, I will not approve anything that ECG will bring to us.”
His remarks were made as the PURC continues stakeholder engagements over proposals from ECG and the Ghana Water Company Limited, which is also demanding a 280 per cent rise in tariffs, citing pollution and the effects of illegal mining.
