Electricity Company of Ghana Limited

: 07 December 2017

Press Briefing on the challenges with the BOT System

Background
• The BOT prepayment vending system failed on Sunday December 3rd 2017 at 7am.
• By Monday, we were unable to vend to any customer within the Kaneshie, Korle-Bu, Dansoman and Achimota Districts
• Customers started vending, then information triggered in that customers who purchased credit after 14th November 2017 were unable to vend at their various districts and vending points because their cards had been corrupted and needed to be reactivated.
• Unfortunately, instead of depositing their cards at their various districts for it to be worked on, customers were rather directed from the various vending points to the Project Office where a team of experts are resolving the challenge, and led to the massing up of customers.

Interventions
• Because of the huge numbers at the Project Office, we advised customers to leave their cards and phone numbers for the cards to be reactivated, after which they will be called to pick the cards.
• On Wednesday, from 5pm, after the completion of the work on the server, we set up an additional 40 Help Desks to serve customers.
• ECG served customers beyond 11pm on Wednesday.
• From this morning, we have been clearing the backlog and immediately the cards are reactivated, customers can vend at any vending point in their Districts.
• Please note that the current challenge has to do with customers whose cards need reactivation because of the initial challenges with the server.
• All customers on the BOT prepaid system can now vend smoothly apart from those who purchased credit after 14th November 2017, whose cards need to be reactivated because of the initial fault that occurred with the server.
• In order to reduce congestion at the Project Office, customers are advised to deposit their cards and phone numbers at the District offices. (A special desk has been set up to handle that). The District will ensure the reactivation of their cards and call them to pick them up.
• The Company intends to ensure that all its prepayment metering systems will be smart devoid of customers visiting vending points, but instead utilizing a mobile app to purchase credit online.
• The Management and Staff of the Company sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused and wishes to assure stakeholders and customers that every effort is being made to resolve this challenge today.

: 06 December 2017

BOT Prepaid Vending Improves

As at 10:00pm Wednesday evening, 6/12/17, these are pictures of the help desk still serving customers at the project office when the Managing Director of ECG came to verify the status in remedying the BOT prepaid vending challenge.

Customers should please note that ECG is still working assiduously to completely rectify the problem.

: 20 November 2017

Suspected cable thief electrocuted while ‘stealing’ underground ECG cables

The body of a suspected cable thief was found electrocuted near the Takoradi Technical University in the Western Region on Friday, November 10, 2017.

Personnel from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in Takoradi, were at the time undertaking repair works on the company’s 33kV underground cable that supplies power to the harbour enclave in Takoradi, when the deceased’s body was found in a trench.

He apparently attempted tampering with the cables, as an initial search on him revealed a blade and cutlass which he may have used to cut the cables.

The cable was cut open and the copper screen, known to be targeted by most cable thieves, had been pulled out.

In recent years, cable thieves have targeted ECG’s copper cables which are known to be very valuable; the copper screens are used for the making of rich ornaments and accessories.

The deceased’s body has since been deposited at the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital mortuary by the police.

We hope that our cherished customers and the general public will avoid this high-risk illegal act which has invariably led to avoidable electrocutions and outages to some critical customers.

: 03 November 2017

Man convicted for assaulting ECG staff

Arrested

The Dzodze Magistrate Court has convicted a man for assaulting a staff of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and illegally taping electricity, after he pleaded guilty of the offences.
Presenting the facts of case to the court on Friday, the police prosecutor said, the suspect, Mac-Billy Ani, was allegedly caught last month by an ECG technician illegally connecting electricity to his Ehi-Biase Kpota home in the Ketu North District of the Volta Region.

ECG to name and shame defaulting customers in the press

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) says its customers who default should soon expect to hear and see their names on radio and in the newspapers respectively.

According to the company, as part of the aggressive revenue collection exercise it is embarking on, it will name and shame in order to recover its money from such defaulting customers.

Speaking at the commissioning of a new Business Centre at Gomoa Oguaakrom in the Gomoa West District of the Central Region, Director of Operations at the ECG, Ing. Tetteh Okine indicated the company has started massive disconnection exercises after issuing notices to all defaulting customers.

Ing. Okine said the company has invested a total amount of 6.4 million in the construction of eleven business centres that have been commissioned across ECG’s operational areas in order to further satisfy their valued customers.

“Our next course of action is to publish the names of all recalcitrant customers in the national dailies and on FM stations. We have resolved to improve our services to satisfy our customers. It will not be business as usual if you owe ECG now. If our customers do default and after several notices to them, they fail to pay, we will proceed to publish their names,” he warned.

The Customer Service Centre commissioned at Gomoa Oguaakrom is one of eleven business centres across ECG’s operational areas in the country. According to the ECG, the centre at Gomoa Oguaakrom was deliberately selected due to its centrality and accessibility to over twelve (12) towns and a number of communities in its catchment centre.

“This project was inspired by Nana Dantse II, the ECG director of Customer service who hails from the area and will provide very vital electricity services to their esteemed customers in the Gomoa Akyempim Traditional area and the surrounding communities stretching from Gomoa Ankaamu (Apam Junction) through to Gomoa Ajumako, Gomoa Nkoransa, Gomoa Obokrom, Gomoa Kumasi, and Gomoa Enyimem. Gomoa Dankyira, Dawurampong, Gomoa Koforidua, all the way to Gomoa Wassa. Gomoa Nkran, Gomoa Asikuma and beyond,” he added.

At the beginning of this year, ECG carried out some comprehensive audit of portions of their distribution network and identified some ‘rogue feeders’. As a result, special projects were urgently executed to rectify the frequently tripping ‘rogue feeders’ to improve ECG’ssystem reliability, ensure operational flexibility, create redundancies and reduce technical losses.

Following the completion and commissioning of the projects, the ECG’s Director of Operations noted that there have been significant improvements in power supply throughout ECG’s operational area.

“In fact, most of our stakeholders have testified privately and the public to the vast improvement in the stability and reliability of electricity supply over the past several months. Encouraged by the modest achievements, we shall continue to work hard to complete all planned projects and initiate new ones to ensure quality service delivery to all our valued customers and economic development of Ghana,” he stressed.

Central Regional Director of the ECG, Abraham Anokye Abebrese said the information and communications technology era has transformed the business landscape of the electricity industry across the world.

According to him, ECG is currently deploying smart solutions in its metering, adding the solutions are driven by robust and high-speed internet connectivity.

ECG Central2

: 09 October 2017

IEEE Day 2017 Celebration

Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers met on the 3rd October 2017 as part of a Continuous Professional Member Development.

IEEE day is a global event celebrated on the 1st Tuesday of October every year. IEEE is the world's largest association dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. IEEE Ghana Section was awarded the outstanding section membership Recruitment and Retention performance 2016 because of the numerous benefits they offer their members.

Some ECG Engineers participated in IEEE Day 2017 Celebration which was Chaired (vice) by Ing. Mrs Miriam Eduful with the theme "Leveraging Technology for a Better Tomorrow".

: 06 September 2017

ECG begins network extension project to Whindo in Takoradi

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in the Western Region has commenced a project to extend electricity supply to Whindo, a suburb of Takoradi.
Whindo, one of the fastest growing suburbs in Takoradi has seen a lot of residential developments in recent times.
However, due to the unavailability of a standard LV Network in the area, many people have resorted to illegal connections which invariably put lives and properties at risk.
The project therefore seeks to extend supply to the newly built residential facilities and also improve the existing network. ECG Whindo1