Electricity and water consumers in Ghana will not face tariff increases in the fourth quarter of 2026, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) said on Thursday.
The regulator said in a statement signed by its Executive Secretary, Dr. Shafic Suleman, that tariffs applicable in the third quarter would remain unchanged from Oct. 1, representing a zero percent adjustment.
PURC increased electricity tariffs by 3.49% and water tariffs by 0.85% for the third quarter.
The quarterly review is intended to ensure utility tariffs reflect prevailing economic and operational conditions while supporting the financial viability of service providers, PURC said.
The regulator said the reviews also consider the potential impact of tariff adjustments on consumers and are aimed at preserving the real value of tariffs while enabling utility companies to maintain reliable services.
In setting the fourth-quarter tariffs, PURC considered factors including the exchange rate between the Ghanaian cedi and the U.S. dollar, domestic inflation, the electricity generation mix and fuel costs, particularly natural gas used by thermal power plants.
PURC applied a weighted average exchange rate of GH¢11.5646 to the dollar for the fourth quarter, representing a 3.04% depreciation of the cedi from the third-quarter rate of GH¢11.2228 to the dollar.
The regulator also applied an average annual inflation rate of 4.97% for the quarter, up from 3.43% in the previous quarter.
For electricity generation, PURC assumed hydropower would account for 24.25% of the generation mix in the fourth quarter, up from 20.90% in the third quarter.
Thermal generation was projected to fall to 75.75% from 79.10%.
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