ECG power sale losses hit 32%, highest in over two decades – Energy Commission

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) faced significant power losses in 2024. These losses reached 32% of its total electricity purchases. This is the highest loss rate in over two decades, according to the Energy Commission's latest report.

In 2024, ECG purchased 17,009 GWh of electricity. However, it only sold 11,561 GWh. The remaining 5,448 GWh was lost due to technical and commercial issues. These included power theft, billing errors, and metering problems.

JoyNews Research estimates that this lost electricity could have powered about 1.36 million households for a year. This estimate assumes an average household uses 300–400 kWh monthly.

The bulletin highlights that ECG is Ghana’s largest power distributor. It has consistently accounted for most electricity purchases and losses over the past 20 years.

The Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) also reported troubling figures in 2024. NEDCo's losses totaled 669 GWh, with a loss rate of about 31%. This figure closely resembles ECG’s performance.

In contrast, the Enclave Power Company (EPC) has shown better results since starting operations in 2015. EPC maintained a low average loss rate of only 2.5% from 2015 to 2024. This reflects the operational efficiency of private-sector involvement in power distribution.

Electricity purchases by all distribution utilities grew at an average annual rate of 6.5%. They increased from 4,319 GWh in 2000 to 19,458 GWh in 2024—almost a fourfold rise. Electricity sales also grew at a similar pace, rising from 3,142 GWh to 13,098 GWh during this period.

In terms of generation capacity, Ghana reached a total installed capacity of 5,749 MW in 2024. Thermal energy contributed to about 70% of this capacity. For dependable output, thermal plants can reliably deliver up to 3,695 MW out of a total of 5,211 MW.

Hydro energy contributions have remained mostly stagnant over the past decade. In terms of dependable capacity this year, hydro provided just 1,411 MW—a modest increase from the previous figure of 1,040 MW in the year 2000.