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Accra-based Italian Restaurant, Bread and Wine, indeed consumed power to the tune of about GHc60,000  for two months. That’s according to the Ministry of Power, which ordered an audit of the charges, after the company threatened to close down following the astronomical charges.

According to the Power Ministry, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), is not to blame for the bill incurred by the Italian eatery.

The Ministry directed a systems audit of the metering system of the restaurant following complaints of over-billing. 

The eatery, which has employed about sixty Ghanaians, threatened to shut down following what they described as unfair electricity  charges by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

Many Ghanaians have complained of exorbitant charges following an increase of 59.2% in electricity tariff last December.

The company said the charges by the ECG, cannot reflect their consumption but their complaints fell on deaf ears, as ECG officials asked them to leave the country if they were not comfortable with the charges.

The management was of the opinion that a new meter installed by the ECG was to blame for the increase.

Inefficient electronics to blame for high consumption

Speaking to Citi News, the Deputy Minister of Power, John Jinapor, blamed the high bills on the lack of efficient-energy saving appliances used at the restaurant.

“The preliminary reports from the Energy commission indicates that the gadgets there are quite energy consuming and some of them are not energy efficient.”

“Even if you look are their gardens alone, the amount of bulbs there, most of which are not LED bulbs, they consume a lot,” Mr Jinapor revealed.

The Energy Ministry has however taken steps to help the eatery to regulate and reduce their electricity consumption.

“So the energy commission has been directed by the Ministry to generate a report and also recommend to the company on how they can balance their load so that they can reduce their billing in terms of consumption,” Mr Jinapor revealed.

Bread and Wine may still close down

The Manager of the restaurant, who gave his name as Nicholas, insisted that they will close down the eatery should the tariffs remain the same after the audit.

“The Minister will do what he has to do. He cannot give me a solution, he is now looking into the problem and as to whether we are closing or not, it will depend on the outcome. But they have to understand that if the bill remains the same, this place cannot operate because a restaurant cannot generate enough money to pay a bill of GHc 30,000.”