Electricity, water tariffs to go up effective July 1

Starting next month, Ghanaians will have to pay extra for power and water as tariffs for both are set to go up from July 1, 2024.

This was contained in the second quarterly review for 2024 from the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC).

Residential electricity users would experience a 5.84% rate increase, according to the commission.

In a statement dated May 31 and signed by its Executive Secretary, Ishmael Ackah, the PURC indicated that tariffs for lifeline consumers will see a 3.45% increase.

“…there will be a 3.45% increase in electricity tariffs for lifeline consumers (0-30kWh); 5.84% increase for all other residential consumers who are not part of the lifeline category bracket (31 kWh and above) as well as the non-residential category,” the PURC said.

However, the industrial category “will experience an increase in electricity tariffs of 4.92%.”

For water, there will be “an increase of 5.16% for all customer classes for the period under review.”

The new tariffs become effective from July 1, 2024, to September 30, 2024.

According to the PURC reviews were undertaken in line with the Commission’s Quarterly Tariff Review Mechanism, which tracks and incorporates movements in key uncontrollable factors, namely the exchange rate between the US$ and the Ghana Cedi, domestic inflation rate, the electricity generation mix, and the cost of fuel, mainly natural gas.

In arriving at this review, the commission claims to have taken into account the general living standards of Ghanaians as well as the competitiveness of various industries.