The Energy Sector Shortfall and Debt Repayment Levy (ESSDRL), popularly known as the One-Cedi Fuel Levy, generated GH¢8.81 billion in 2025 but was unable to cover even half of the GH¢22.67 billion spent on energy sector shortfalls and legacy debt repayments during the year.
According to the 2025 Annual Report on the Management of the Energy Sector Support Account, submitted to Parliament by the Ministry of Finance, government was forced to inject an additional GH¢12.85 billion from the Treasury Main Account to bridge the funding gap.
The report revealed that actual collections from the levy reached GH¢8.66 billion, surpassing the revised target of GH¢8.62 billion by GH¢39.88 million. Total lodgements into the Energy Sector Support Account stood at GH¢8.81 billion, and together with funds carried over from 2024, the account had GH¢10.07 billion available for use.
Despite the strong revenue performance, expenditure on energy sector obligations reached GH¢22.67 billion. Out of this amount, GH¢11.48 billion was used to settle energy sector payment shortfalls, while GH¢11.19 billion went into repaying accumulated legacy debts.
The report acknowledged that the levy alone was insufficient to address the scale of financial challenges facing the sector.
“As a result, an additional amount of GH¢12.85 billion was paid by the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department from the Treasury Main Account,” the report stated.
The Treasury support included GH¢5.16 billion for energy sector shortfalls and GH¢7.69 billion for legacy debt repayments.
According to the report, higher petroleum consumption driven by increased economic activity, relatively stable fuel prices, and measures to curb fuel diversion contributed to the levy’s improved revenue performance.
The ESSDRL was introduced under the Energy Sector Levies Act, 2025 (Act 1135), consolidating several petroleum-related levies into a single charge aimed at reducing energy sector debts and financing shortfalls. Government later increased the levy by GH¢1 per litre on selected petroleum products to boost revenue generation.
However, despite raising billions of cedis, the report concluded that substantial government intervention remains necessary to tackle the sector’s longstanding debt burden and financing challenges.
At the close of 2025, the Energy Sector Support Account recorded a balance of GH¢252.23 million.
