Ghanaians to Pay More for Electricity, Water From July 1

Ghanaians will pay more for electricity and water from July 1, 2026, following a new tariff adjustment approved by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC).

The Commission has increased electricity tariffs by 3.49 per cent across all customer categories and water tariffs by 0.85 per cent as part of its quarterly tariff review process.

The PURC says the increases were necessary to maintain the financial viability of service providers and ensure the continued delivery of electricity and water services.

A statement issued on Monday and signed by Dr Shafic Suleman, Acting Executive of the Commission, said the review took into account movements in the Ghana cedi against the US dollar, inflation, the cost of natural gas used in power generation and the electricity generation mix.

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It explained that the quarterly review mechanism was designed to preserve the real value of tariffs in the face of changing economic conditions while minimising the impact on consumers.

For the third quarter of 2026, the Commission applied a weighted average exchange rate of GH¢11.2228 to one US dollar, representing a 0.2 per cent depreciation of the cedi compared with the previous quarter.

It also applied a three-month average inflation rate of 3.43 per cent, down from 4.17 per cent in the second quarter. The weighted average cost of natural gas fell by 1.58 per cent to US$7.9708 per MMBtu, while the hydro-thermal generation mix remained unchanged at 20.9 per cent hydro and 79.1 per cent thermal generation.

Under the revised tariff structure, residential consumers on the lifeline tariff who use up to 30 kilowatt-hours of electricity monthly will now pay 89.93 pesewas per kilowatt-hour, up from 86.9 pesewas.

For water, households consuming up to five cubic metres monthly under the lifeline category will pay 598.54 pesewas per cubic metre, compared with the previous rate of 593.49 pesewas.

Service charges for all customer categories remain unchanged.

PURC said it would continue to monitor the operations of regulated utility providers and ensure compliance with standards aimed at improving service quality and delivering value for money to consumers.

Read the original article on Ghanaian Times.