She added that within the same period 97 customers were prosecuted and billed to pay for the power that had been stolen.

Speaking at a meeting with some media houses in Tema, Madam Kyei Gyamfi noted that the most prevalent recorded cases involved meter bypassing and meter tampering.

She said the company was able to recover about six million Ghana cedis out of about nine million one hundred and sixty-eight thousand that had been lost.

She said the level of illegal siphoning of power was realised when the company last year organised a routine house-to-house operation to check on its meters within some parts of the Tema region.

According to her the exercise formed part of efforts to ensure that customers pay for power they use and are deterred from stealing power.

She said “a report is currently being compiled by the headquarters to come out with a few issues and then we can bounce back to begin the next phase of the operation”

Madam Kyei Gyamfi added that customers who have been found culpable have been given time to pay their bills.

“The bills are such that customers don’t pay them at a go. It is not a mainstream billing so those who are found culpable are given a payment plan to settle their bills”

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By: Elvis Washington/citifnonline.com/Ghana

The post Tema: 96,000 homes cited for illegal electricity connections in 2017 appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Mr. Agyarko explained that, government could not reduce the tariff in this year’s budget due to moves to stabilize power supply in the country.

Speaking at a conference in Accra, Mr. Agyarko assured that government is working to input the tariff reduction in the budget to bring relief to businesses and domestic users.

“On the budget, it is our faithful expectation that we should be able to reduce tariff. We are getting a lot of cooperation in so doing. So we believe that through this budget to the end of the year, we should be able to start bringing the prices down,” he assured.

Mr. Agyarko explained that, government is working to stabilize the price by reducing waste in the power generation and distribution systems.

“When we set out, the commitment was that we need to correct two things. One was stabilizing power, so that we get the product that we are paying for. I believe that we have largely succeeded in stabilizing the supply of power”.

“Our next mandate is to begin the reduction of prices, and the reduction of prices takes a number of forms. Levies which we did in the last budget,” he added.

Mr. Agyarko pointed out that, the ministry is working to substantially reduce the cost of production in the power sector.

“It doesn’t make much sense that for the same turbines and the same fuel, Ivory Coast is producing power cheaper than us, they on the average produce at 9 cents per kilowatts hour, we on the average producing at 14 cents per kilowatt hour,” he said, adding that “we have to find a way to reduce the cost of production and we are working on it”

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By: Lawrence Segbefia/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana

The post Electricity tariffs to go down next year appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The health workers, numbering about four, who man the facility say they have no option, but to vacate post in the night because the facility is not connected to the national grid making healthcare delivery impossible in the night.

The Nyonkoko CHPS center, which serves hundreds of residents was built around 2008 with a four room accommodation for staff, but the facility has not been connected to electricity.

A nurse who spoke to Citi News on condition of anonymity, said the situation is having a dire impact on  health care.

“The situation is really affecting health care, deliveries come to this facility mostly in the night and there is no light and most of the pregnant women end up delivering in their homes.”

“We cannot even  store polio, BCG, Pneumococcal vaccines among others in a fridge because we don’t  have lights so we are unable to store these vaccines  and so at the end of it, these vaccines go bad, they lose their potency so we are not able to use them for the newborn and children that come for immunization.”

She added that, “We (nurses) are supposed to stay at this facility because we have accommodation here, but our quarters is not connected to electricity and we don’t also have solar panels,  so we end up going to our various homes.  So when community members come to the facility to access health care in the night, they don’t meet us,  sometimes even on weekends; and so we want government to connect the facility to electricity.”

Recently, a pregnant woman visited the facility in the night to deliver, “but because we don’t stay there, she went home to deliver and placenta was retained but the condition was later managed.”

The nurses quarters, which is in a bad state, has been turned into a venue for nocturnal activities in the night because only one out of the four rooms has a padlock.

Residents especially pregnant women seeking health care services in the night would have to commute about three kilometers to the Sherigu health center to be attended to.

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By: Frederick Awuni/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Nyonkoko nurses abandon night duty over lack of electricity appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This, he said was part of plans to increase the capacity of its supplies, and also ensure power reliability and stability to the country’s capital due to the heavy demand for power.

[contextly_sidebar id=”sEkucIqN1rkPJjpJpz88AthNhjm9fc5R”]According to Mr. Amuna, the project will last for a period of one year at a cost of 21 million dollars, and it is being financed by the AFD.

“All the lines from Tema to Accra in the next one year will see a total upgrade where a total reconstruction will be done. The capacity available now will be increased by five folds,” he told Citi News.

Mr. Amuna explained that, currently, the towers carry a total load of 627 MVA which has become woefully inadequate to meet the demands of the capital, but added that the current upgrade when completed, will increase the current capacity to about 3000 MVA.

He said the exercise has become necessary due to the increased demand for power in the capital, but assured the public that it would be managed efficiently to avoid load shedding.

“We are going to manage the exercise in a way that will not call for load shedding. We shall take it one at a time to save us from having to shed load while we carry out the exercise” he stated.

He said the towers that will be changed during the period of the exercise will stretch from Tema through to Achimota to Mallam.

According to Mr. Amuna, the company is also putting up a new sub station in Central Accra near the Graphic Corporation to forestall any power outages in the capital.

“We want to come out with a system such that when you lose power from one source, you have other sources that can supply you such that you don’t go off at all” Mr Amuna indicated.

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By: Elvis Washington/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post GRIDCo to upgrade towers for improved power supply to Accra appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to IECP, the plan is dangerous and will worsen the financial position of utility providers in the country and eventually lead the country into a period of erratic power supply popularly known as ‘dumsor’.

President Akufo-Addo’s nominee as Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta in an interview after his nomination stated that he will ensure a holdup in utility prices in the short-term.

But according to the group, previous interference in the pricing of utilities in the country has resulted in utility companies performing inefficiently.

In a statement, it said, “This interference might not be the best way to go in bringing relief to consumers. For a very long time in the history of the country, energy security, particularly in the electricity sector, has been a major problem.”

“Both inadequate supply and increased demand have been the main underlying causing factors, albeit the latter has received very little attention. On the supply-side, the major causes have been the below marginal cost pricing and insecurity in fuel supply, particularly gas supply. The below marginal cost pricing arose due to governments effort in the past to provide a budgetary relief to end-users of electricity.”

“This has, however, created a dual problem in the electricity sector. First, the move has deteriorated the financial position of the utility companies, which has culminated into the huge debt the utility companies face; a problem we are still confronted with and have to deal away with as a country.

Second, the decision by government to provide a budgetary relief via a visible hand-made end-users of electricity irresponsible; this increased energy wastage and deteriorated energy conservation.”

It said while a reduction in utility prices will be helpful to Ghanaians, it must not be determined by government but by the consumers.

“Having a pricing structure that incorporates this incentive will not only drive the incentive to be energy efficient among end-users but also drive the general electricity tariffs down.”

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @jnyabor

The post Halting utility prices dangerous for economy – Gov’t warned appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Some of the beneficiary communities are Somsei, Datehkrom, Kwasiadei, Mmradan, Esukese No.2, Sakabo, Tailor-kope, Gadokope, Samankwai, Aduonum among others.

Mr. Ibrahim Issaka, the District Chief Executive (DCE), in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said work will soon start in some communities in the district and that everything would be done to ensure the success of the project.

He said government’s goal is to provide every community with their fair share of development.

Mr. Issaka urged the people to cooperate and support the contractors to ensure the smooth implementation of the project.

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Source: GNA

The post Fifty communities in Kwahu Afram Plains South to get electricity appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to him, processes are far advanced for the wiring of the towns in the area that hitherto were without light saying “as soon as they are completed we will switch them on.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”VI3x0sZ6ohLkGit19qqfqpvi2vwOSppo”]“In the realm of electricity when I was campaigning for election, about 25 communities had since their existence never seen light. No light had shone in their areas ever since their creation. I’m happy to tell you today that I am on the verge of accomplishing an unprecedented feat of ensuring that by the time I go for election there would not be a single village that would be without light. By the time December 7 comes, there would be no community in my constituency, Sagnarigu that would be without light,” he emphasised

A.B.A Fuseini who is also the Deputy Northern Regional Minister made the assurance on the Point Blank Segment on Eyewitness News on Tuesday.

The Sagnarigu legislator said he received an electricity deficit of 25 communities from his predecessor but has been able to bridge the gap within the shortest possible time.

“I inherited a deficit of about 25 towns and villages, as I speak to you they are in the wiring are being done and they are in the process of just completing those ones and as soon as they are completed we will switch them on. I’m sure latest by November we are going to switch them on. I’m not whistling, I’m blowing a trumpet so whoever who is anywhere can note it done and go and find out.”

He also listed some of the projects undertaken in the area by the NDC government including education, water connection among others and assured of more of such projects if the NDC government is retained on December 7, 2016.

“That is the solid record of achievement that the government of President John Mahama and myself as the Member of Parliament have chalked…and President Mahama will have one touch victory.”

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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post Every home in Sagnarigu to enjoy electricity before December 7 – MP appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The strike if effected, will affect thousands of residents who rely on these centers in the food preparation process.

Citi News’ Aminu Alaabira Mohammed reported that “the mill operators are billed GHC 2,500 monthly,” adding that “failure to settle the bill also leads to a disconnection from the national grid.”

The secretary of the mill operators Association at Bimbilla, Iddrisu Blay, expressed concerns about the situation.

“We can’t pay for the bills we are charged…In a month you can make about 2,000GHC and the bill comes as high as 2,5000. In Bimbilla, it is not everyday or month that you will make that amount of money. The bill is very expensive and that is why we have closed our mills…This is not just happening to me.”

Another mill operator called for a reduction, saying “I want them to reduce the money being charged for  so that I can grind my items.”

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Bimbila mill operators to protest high electricity tariffs appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.