The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has announced an upward review of national utility tariffs, increasing electricity by 3.49% and water by 0.85% across the board, effective 1st July 2026.
The decision, finalised during the Commission’s 2026 Third Quarter Tariff Review, aims to preserve the real value of cost recovery for Utility Service Providers (USPs) while protecting operational viability against shifting macroeconomic benchmarks.
According to an official statement released on Monday by the PURC Executive Secretary, Dr Shafic Suleman, a marginal 0.2% depreciation of the Ghana Cedi against the United States Dollar served as a primary trigger for the net tariff increments.
The Commission applied a Weighted Average Exchange Rate of GHS 11.2228/USD 1.0000 for the upcoming quarter, up from the GHS 11.1931/USD 1.0000 utilised during the second quarter.
While the currency depreciation drove system costs up, some relief was recorded from other index variables under consideration.
The three-month average projected annual inflation rate experienced a downward revision to 3.43%, down from the previous quarter’s benchmark of 4.17%.
Additionally, the Weighted Average Cost of Gas (WACOG) dropped by 1.58%, falling from USD 8.0988/MMBtu to USD 7.9708/MMBtu.
However, these market contractions were insufficient to fully counteract the broader structural expenses tied to the production and distribution lines.
The generation matrix for the third quarter remained static, with the projected hydro-thermal mix holding firm at 20.90% hydro generation and 79.10% thermal generation.
This heavy reliance on thermal power leaves the energy grid deeply exposed to foreign exchange fluctuations and fuel procurement pricing.
Under the new electricity pricing framework, residential lifeline consumers (0–30 kWh) will see their consumption rate rise from 86.9000 GHp/kWh to 89.9315 GHp/kWh, while their flat service charge remains unchanged at 213.0000 GHp/month.
Standard residential consumers using up to 300 kWh will experience an energy charge increase from 196.8825 GHp/kWh to 203.7509 GHp/kWh.
Across all customer classes—including Non-Residential, Special Load Tariff (SLT) industrial operations, and Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations—the 3.49% surge is applied uniformly to energy components, while standard monthly service fees remain frozen.
For water services, residential lifeline consumers utilising up to 5 cubic meters will see adjustments from 593.49 GHp/m³ to 598.5381 GHp/m³.
Commercial and industrial water users face a revised tariff of 3,205.1425 GHp/m³, up from 3,178.11 GHp/m³, with fixed service fees staying constant across the board.
Dr Suleman emphasised that the Commission remains committed to rigorous oversight, balancing provider financial sustainability with customer economic interests.
“The Commission will continue to monitor the operations of the regulated service providers and hold them accountable to regulatory standards and benchmarks to ensure value for money and improved quality of service delivery,” Dr Suleman stated.
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