Coronavirus: 50% electricity cut will start reflecting from next month – Government

The government has announced that its 50% electricity power reduction will take effect from the month of May.

This was disclosed by the Energy Minister, John Peter Amewu, during a news conference on Thursday.

Last week, President Akufo-Addo announced that government will absorb the electricity bills of poor citizens in a bid to alleviate the economic impact of the Coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdown.

Also, the President said 50% electricity bills will be absorbed for other consumers for the next three months.

The package was supposed to last for April, May and June, but the Energy Minister has revealed that it has been pushed forward.

According to him, the power distributors could not have implemented the relief package because at the time that it was announced, the month of April had already begun.

He further explained that some pre-paid customers had already bought their credit and so it would have been impossible for them to enjoy the package.

“Some people had already purchased, especially the pre-paid customers and some people had already bought their postpaid so the April benefit will be derived in May and the May benefit in June and the June benefit will be in July,” Mr. Amewu said, as quoted by 3news.

“So if you already bought credit in April you wouldn’t see it reflecting but when you move to May it will reflect in May.”

The Minister added that government will be spending GHc 732 million over the next three months to subsidise electricity for citizens.