The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has embarked on an exercise dubbed ‘Operation No Free Consumption’ in the Western Region.
The exercise aims to identify those who are illegally consuming electricity and forms part of the utility company’s revenue mobilisation drive.
“During this two-week period, we will update customers details such as phone numbers, GPS addresses; identify meters on the field which are not in our system; collect arrears and disconnect for non-payment of arrears,” Emmanuel Justice Ofori, Western Regional General Manager-ECG, told media in Takoradi.
He explained that the exercise will also take pictorial readings of all postpaid meters with a new meter reading electronic device known as the Zeus Mobile device.
“This,” he said, “is to ensure that we update our system with true data of all customers, so that the bills we bring out will be reflective of what has been consumed on the field as well as capture and regularise all meters.”
Again, Mr. Ofori – an engineer by training, said his outfit will use this period to mobilise enough revenue for the company and promote use of the ECG mobile app. “As you have been hearing nowadays, we need money to pay power producers.
“Currently, we’ve gone cashless in all areas; and the new one that’s coming is using the ECG app to register for new service connections starting today, February 1, 2024,” he added.
He further explained that all customers applying for new services will go through the ECG app.
“There’s no need for customers to come to our office. We are doing this to give customers the convenience they deserve. Our officers will go through the processes and then visit your home to look at the requirement, and then a bill will be given to you,” he explained.
Mr. Ofori cautioned customers not to make payment to any ECG officer. “You will only be asked to do payment when you receive a text message after you have gone through the process: that is, you have gone through the registration process and your premises have been inspected for the new service. An invoice will be generated for you, so do not make payment without an invoice because people are taking advantage of our digitalisation to defraud customers.”
