Energy companies face blackout over failure to pay electricity bills
A number of oil companies operating at the Takoradi Airforce base in the Western Region could be taken off the national grid for allegedly failing to pay for electricity consumed for varying periods up to seven years.
Officials of the Electricity Company of Ghana say their undercover investigators unraveled the failure by the companies to pay their bills.
Joy News’ Western Region correspondent, Kweku Owusu Peprah, reported a "minor fracas" at the Air Force Base between officials of the oil companies alleged to be in default with authorities at the military installation.
Tullow Oil Ghana, Cosmos Energy, Web Construction, Mobicrane are named in a long list of oil companies in default of electricity bills and whose names have been written on a giant billboard planted in front of the air force base.
Officials of the oil companies have denied failing to pay their electricity bills, accusing the air force authorities of failing to use part of their rent to defray the cost of electricity bill.
Officials of Web Construction produced a copy of a contract in which they paid an amount of $210,000 in April to authorities at the Air Force base and claimed they expected the "landlords" to use part of that amount to settle the electricity bills.
But the "landlords" have vehemently objected to that claim, insisting nowhere in the lease agreement is it stated that part of the rent would be used to pay electricity expenses. Officials of Tullow Oil are also making similar arguments, Peprah revealed.
However, it is not yet clear the total debt owed to the electricity Company of Ghana although it is expected to run into several millions of Ghana cedis.
He said the ECG is about to conduct a thorough inventory of all electrical appliances and the debt owed the company by the various oil companies. Meanwhile, officials of the ECG are ready to take off the defaulting companies from the national grid.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
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