Electrical Audit For All Govt Buildings

The Energy Commission is to begin an audit of all government buildings and institutions to ascertain whether their electrical wiring is in good shape or needs re-wiring. This follows a directive from Government to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) not to connect any new private or public building to the national grid unless the wiring of the building is undertaken by a certified electrical wiring professional. Deputy Minister for Energy & Petroleum, John Abu Jinapor, who disclosed this at the launch of the Ghana Electrical Wiring Certification Guidelines yesterday in Accra, said the move would ensure sanity in the system and prevent fire outbreaks resulting from irregular wiring of buildings. �Following the passage of the electrical wiring regulations, government has directed that ECG should not connect any house, any government building or institution to the national grid unless they produce certificate to indicate that they have gone through all the provisions under the regulations before they are connected.� �Electricians in the country must have certificates from the regulatory bodies before they would be allowed to wire any building in the country.� He urged the Commission to educate the general public to engage the services of good and certified electricians. The Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission, Dr. Alfred K. Ofosu Ahenkrah, said the key objective of the 194-page electrical wiring regulations is to guide professionals who undertake electrical wiring in Ghana in the performance of their duties and to ensure the safety of lives and property. Ofosu Ahenkrah said the electrical wiring regulation provides answers to three basic questions that relate to electrical wiring which include who qualifies to undertake electrical wiring in Ghana, how the qualified electrical wiring professional should perform the wiring function and the type of materials that the qualified person is supposed to use in Ghana. Meanwhile, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has demanded a tariff increment of 214 percent. It wants the Public Utilities & Regulatory Commission (PURC) to increase its price per unit from 9.76 pesewas established since 2011 to 30.67 pesewas. The three main power companies in the country � Volta River Authority (VRA), Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG)- are asking for a total tariff increment of about 384 percent to help them run efficiently. The VRA is requesting for an increment of 19.29 pesewas, representing a 128 percent increase from 8.4 pesewas in 2011. GRIDCo has also asked for an increment from 2.3 pesewas in 2011 to 3.18 pesewas, which represents 40 percent. The power companies made their request when they met with the Parliamentary Select Committees on Energy, Water Resources, Works & Housing at the behest of the PURC. The first to make his presentation was the Director of Planning and Business Development at the VRA, Kofi Ellis, who stated that the increment is to enable them cover cost. Director of Procurement at the ECG, Robert Dwamena called for support to enable ECG provide quality, reliable and regular electricity to Ghanaian.