The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has maintained electricity and water tariffs at their existing third-quarter levels for the fourth quarter of 2026.
This means consumers will see no change in their electricity and water tariffs when the new rates take effect on October 1, 2026.
The Commission announced the decision in its Fourth Quarter Tariff Review Decision released on September 24, 2026, after assessing key economic and operational factors that influence the cost of providing utility services.
“These quarterly reviews are undertaken by the Commission to maintain the real value of the existing tariffs, which would enable the utility service providers to remain financially viable and to deliver on their services to consumers, bearing in mind the impact of these tariffs on the wellbeing of consumers in general,” PURC said.
The quarterly review considers factors including movements in the Ghana cedi-dollar exchange rate, domestic inflation, the cost of natural gas and the mix of electricity generated from hydro and thermal sources.
For the fourth quarter, PURC applied a weighted average exchange rate of GH¢11.5646 to US$1, compared with GH¢11.2228 to US$1 in the third quarter.
This represents a 3.04% depreciation of the Ghana cedi against the US dollar based on the rates applied by the Commission.
Inflation also increased in the Commission’s calculations. PURC applied an average annual inflation rate of 4.97% for the fourth quarter, up from 3.43% in the previous quarter.
The rate represents an increase of 44.89% from the previous quarter’s figure.
Meanwhile, the cost of natural gas used to power thermal plants recorded a slight decline.
PURC applied a Weighted Average Cost of Gas (WACOG) of US$7.8379 per MMBtu, down 1.67% from the third-quarter rate of US$7.9708 per MMBtu.
The projected electricity generation mix also shifted during the quarter, with a higher contribution expected from hydro sources.
Hydro generation is projected to increase from 20.90% in the third quarter to 24.25% in the fourth quarter, representing an increase of about 16.03%.
Thermal generation, meanwhile, is projected to decline from 79.10% to 75.75%, a reduction of about 4.24%.
Despite the movements in these underlying factors, PURC said the existing electricity and water tariffs would remain unchanged for the fourth quarter.
The Commission said the quarterly tariff reviews are intended to help utility providers remain financially viable while ensuring that tariff decisions also take into account their impact on consumers.
The unchanged tariffs will therefore apply from October 1, 2026, through the fourth quarter.
