Current Power Outages: ECG Boss Exposed

The Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Mr. Samuel Dubik Mahama has been undressed by members of his management team as handling the current power outages Ghanaians are experiencing with profuse carelessness.

Per what the management members are saying 80 per cent of the power outages are the result of ECG’s internal issues and not from external factors.

The management members have it there are blazing guns at the ECG and there would heavy exchanges soon because of how Mr. Mahama is handling affairs which would further compound the current situation.

The management members are claiming that the Managing Director has destroyed their front to the extent that all hands are not on deck at the crucial moment to solve the ugly situation.

‘’We have a situation where the MD is interested in playing ball with some board leadership instead of rallying the management which is made up of solid engineers to deal with the current power outages,’’ they said.

They told The Inquisitor that the earlier media reports that Mr Mahama was not liaising with other heads of various agencies in the power supply chain were very true.

There were reports that the ECG boss and his Board Chairman had not been attending meetings among sector agency heads to fashion out how to deal with the power outages.

Per those reports, the meetings for sector agency heads were usually also attended by Board Chairpersons of the agencies.

Shockingly Mr. Mahama and his board chairman, Mr. Kelly Gadzekpo have not been attending the meetings, making the other heads who are ready and willing to solve the power outages redundant.

According to the management members, those accusing the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) of exerting pressure on the ECG don’t know the issues at hand.

They said that the PURC as the regulator has identified lots of rots and wrongs which was why it was on the tail of the ECG because things are going bad with the power electricity outfit.

Meanwhile, the PURC has instructed the ECG to disburse funds from the Cash Waterfall Mechanism (CWM).

According to Dr Eric Obutey, the Head of Research and Corporate Affairs at the PURC, the commission has instructed the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to distribute funds from the Cash Waterfall Mechanism (CWM) by March 25, 2024.

In an interview on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News, Dr Obutey explained that the CWM is a system devised to distribute revenues from electricity sales among key players in the energy sector involved in the electricity supply chain.

He highlighted concerns about the mechanism’s inefficiency, prompting the commission to request an update and adherence to the mechanism’s guidelines by the specified deadline.

“The cash waterfall mechanism is a system whereby monies that have been collected in the sector are distributed among the sector players from generators through transmission through to distribution. So that mechanism is not found to be working effectively,” Dr. Obutey clarified.

“So, we told them to give us an update on that mechanism and to comply with the mechanism the way it is supposed to be distributed by March 25,” he added.

Additionally, Dr Obutey emphasized the need for more information regarding overloaded transformers in the system, which the ECG claims to be replacing, as well as operational issues raised by the ECG itself.

Already, the PricewaterhouseCoopers audit conducted on the CWM reportedly identified discrepancies between two of the collections and actual disbursement.

In a related development, the PURC has instructed the ECG to submit a comprehensive load management timetable by April 2, 2024, in response to ongoing challenges with internet connectivity and power supply disruptions affecting Ghanaians.

Despite recent electricity interruptions, ECG has asserted that no load-shedding timetable is currently required. However, the company has identified 630 overloaded transformers during peak hours as a key factor contributing to the crisis, indicating a surge in electricity demand exceeding the transformers’ full capacity.

In an order dated Monday, March 18, 2024, PURC mandated ECG to provide detailed information, including ratings and current loadings of overloaded distribution transformers, GPS locations, installation plans for new transformers, and timelines for installation. Additionally, ECG is required to furnish a corresponding load management schedule aligned with installation timelines and evidence of disseminating this information to consumers.

More To Come On Monday!

Source: The Inquisitor