The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has identified 28 institutions involved in power theft in the Ashanti region.

The company has billed some of the institutions who stole power through direct power connections, bypasses, among others, to the tune of one million Ghana cedis as part of its revenue mobilisation drive.

The Ashanti region accounts for GHȼ1.2 billion, representing 21 percent of the GHȼ5.7 billion owed by electricity consumers nationwide.

Power theft accounts for a chunk of commercial losses to the power company.

ECG says the majority of the power thefts are orchestrated by unscrupulous persons parading themselves as staff of the company.

Last week, 21 persons were arrested at Buoho, Barekese and Kunsu for power theft.

Over 20 second cycle institutions have also been caught in the illegality.

General Manager, Network Projects at Ashanti SBU, Frederick Bediako in an exclusive interview with Joynews named security, hospitality and health institutions as the other worst culprits of power theft.

“The work that we’ve done  within the past one month within the Agenda 2020, we have been able to identify about 28 institutions ranging from the security to medical, to hospitality industries as well as some manufacturing industries and second cycle schools as the institutions that have done some bit of power theft, which we are through the Revenue Protection Unit retrieving the energy that has been consumed and not paid for.”

“So far, we have been able to bill about a million Ghana cedis. There’s a major discussion that’s going on to bill other customers that could send the figure to way beyond three million cedis within Ashanti region alone,” he added.

The Electricity Company of Ghana, through its Agenda 2020 programme is going after all power theft culprits.

It will also ensure power consumed illegally is retrieved and perpetrators punished.

Mr. Bediako cautioned ECG customers against engaging unauthorised ECG staff.

He wants customers to verify the identity of people who claim to be ECG staff via option 5 of short code *226#.