PURC hands major boost to industries following elimination of special tariff

The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has signaled a major policy shift that should see a reduction in the cost of electricity for industrial consumers of power.

According to a statement issued the utility regulator, the maximum demand charge paid by industrial consumers has been eliminated effective July 1, 2019.

The PURC described the move has a major policy shift that should enhance the competitiveness of Ghanaian industries.

“It is expected that this policy will result in industrial customers experiencing savings in their overall electricity bill. The 2019-2020 Major Tariff Review Decision is the outcome of prudent cost review and effective monitoring undertaken by the commission,” the statement said.

The Energy Commision defines a  bulk customer in respect of electricity consumption as any consumer of electricity with a Maximum Demand of at least 500KVA consistently for a consecutive period of 3 months or minimum annual energy consumption of 1 million kilowatt-hours (kWh).

Tariffs up

PURC also announced an 11.17 percent increase in the cost of electricity on Friday arguing that the decision is to allow power producers to make recoveries on their investment in power generation.

“In line with the Commission’s regulatory oversight mandate, extensive technical and financial analyses of the proposals were undertaken. The key objective of the tariff review was to sustain the financial viability of utility service providers as well as ensuring delivery of quality service to consumers,” the PURC said.