The Tema Regional Office of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has advised customers within communities affected by the Akosombo dam spillage who are yet to get power supply to check the wiring of their premises.
Ms Sakyiwaa Mensah, the Tema Regional ECG Public Relations Officer, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that such affected customers should have their premises checked and affirmed by Certified Electrical Wiring Personnel (CEWP) and inspectors accredited by the Energy Commission of Ghana.
Ms. Mensah said the spillage, which happened between September and October 2023, led to the power distributor cutting power supply to the affected areas for safety reasons.
She said, except for those whose premises were not ready to be connected back to the feed, power supply was gradually restored to customers as the situation improved.
She stated that the isolated cases of some customers in affected communities were due to internal issues of wiring within their premises as the flood waters caused damage to them.
The PRO noted that since the ECG was unsure of the extent of damage, having CEWP and inspectors accredited by the Energy Commission conduct a check at their premises would generate the needed reports, which would then form the basis for power supply restoration.
Touching on other concerns from the area, she said the company had received complaints of some customers receiving electricity bills covering the period of the floods while they were not occupying their homes or using the electricity.
She explained that the production of electricity bills was cyclical in nature; therefore, the current bills customers in the area received would still contain the period of the flooding.
Ms Mensah said the affected customers are, however, advised to focus on paying their bills received for power consumed before and after the flooding period.
“It is worthy to note that if a customer was owing ECG before the onset of the flood, it was legitimate consumption for which the bill must be paid,” she added.
She further said that the ECG was liaising with community leaders and the assembly members to compile the list of all customers whose homes got flooded, including those who lost their homes and premises totally.
GNA
LS/AD
Feb. 6, 2024
