ECG launches ‘Operation Keep The Lights On’ to recover debts and inspect meters

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has announced a massive revenue mobilisation exercise dubbed ‘Operation Keep The Lights On,’ set to run from Wednesday, January 15, to Friday, January 31, 2025.

The exercise will take place across all ECG operational areas as part of the company’s efforts to recover outstanding debts and ensure the integrity of prepaid meters.

The announcement was made in a public notice issued on January 13, 2025. According to ECG, the exercise will focus on customers in arrears, as well as an inspection of prepaid meters to check for any tampering or illegal connections.

Objectives of ‘Operation Keep The Lights On’

The primary aim of this initiative is to recover outstanding debts from various categories of customers. ECG has warned that self-reconnection after disconnection is a criminal offence and will not be tolerated.

The exercise will also involve thorough inspections of prepaid meters to ensure they are functioning correctly and have not been tampered with.

The company emphasised that this operation is a necessary step to enhance its financial sustainability and improve service delivery. The utility provider has struggled with high levels of unpaid bills from both private and public institutions, contributing to its financial challenges.

Lean staff operations during the exercise

During the two-week period, ECG’s regional and district offices will operate with a lean staff pool.

This measure is to ensure that all available staff members are actively participating in the revenue mobilisation exercise. Essential services will still be provided at the offices to avoid inconveniencing customers.

In a statement, ECG noted, “The regional and district offices will operate with a lean staff pool who will provide essential services to customers during this exercise to enable total participation by top management and staff.”

“ECG wishes to state that the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission’s LI (2413) gives us full access to all our installations. Therefore, customers and the general public are being advised to cooperate with ECG to carry out our mandate,” the notice stated.

Background on ECG’s financial struggles

This exercise comes at a time when the Electricity Company of Ghana is facing mounting financial challenges.

The company has been grappling with unpaid bills from public institutions, businesses, and individuals, which has significantly impacted its ability to operate efficiently. In recent months, ECG has ramped up efforts to address revenue shortfalls by cracking down on illegal connections and recovering debts.

Previous revenue mobilisation exercises have seen ECG disconnecting defaulting customers, including government agencies and high-profile businesses, from the power grid. The company has maintained that recovering these debts is crucial to ensuring reliable power supply and improving the country’s energy infrastructure.

ECG has also hinted at introducing more initiatives to curb power theft and improve revenue collection, signalling a more proactive approach to dealing with the challenges facing the company.

The post ECG launches ‘Operation Keep The Lights On’ to recover debts and inspect meters first appeared on 3News.

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