NERC
Port Harcourt DisCo insists NMMP meters not for sale
File Photo The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) says it is not selling to customers, meters provided free to electricity users by the Federal Government. PHED’s Acting Manager of Corporate Communications, Mrs Chioma Aninwe, disclosed this in a statement in Port Harcourt on Monday. The Federal Government had in October 2020 introduced the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP), to eliminate arbitrary estimated bills that were given to unmetered customers by Distribution Companies (Discos). Through the scheme, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) provided financing support to the Discos for the procurement of meters for customers from local meter manufacturers. Aninwe disclosed in the statement that “Our attention has been drawn to a publication alleging that PHED is direc...
Electricity customers fault DisCos move to phase out obsolete meters
Electricity consumer groups on Thursday faulted directive by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to power Distribution Companies (DisCos) to replace obsolete meters under their networks. The groups in an interview with newsmen in Lagos, urged the DisCos to focus on issuing meters to unmetered customers under the ongoing National Mass Metering Programme of the Federal Government. Adeola Samuel-Ilori, the National Coordinator, All Nigeria Electricity Consumers Forum, said the directive by NERC was not a priority for the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry. “The DisCos have a history of not complying with NERC’S directive and giving them power to take away customers meters under the guise of being obsolete is not the right way to go. “This will only lead to more customers b...
PHED begins distribution of 77,000 meters to customers
File Photo The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Plc, PHEDC, has begun the distribution of 77,000 Prepaid Metres to its Customers within its area of operation. The Head, Administration, Ngozi Koroye, in a statement in Port Harcourt, noted that the metres were installed under the National Mass Metering Programme, NMMP. Koroye explained that the initial scheme, Meter Asset Provider, MAP, which runs concurrently with the NMMP was launched in 2019 and operated by independent entities licensed by the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, to provide metering services which may include meter procurement, supply, installation, maintenance, and replacement. Koroye noted that MAP was introduced to specifically eliminate arbitrary estimated billing through accelerated meter rollout, s...
PHED: Why blackout persists in Rivers communities
File Photo The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company said five power towers were damaged by suspected vandals at the Elelenwo transmission substation in Obio/Apkor Local Government Area, plunging several communities in Rivers State into darkness. Acting Head, Corporate Communications, PHED, Ngozi Koroye, who disclosed this to newsmen in Port Harcourt, said the installation belongs to the Transmission Company of Nigeria. Koroye explained that the action of the hoodlums caused extensive damage to the facility, noting that the company felt the pains of residents in the affected areas who have been in darkness for over one month. “The outage though regrettable is as a result of extensive damage caused by the activities of electricity vandals to towers 51, 52, 53, 54, and 55. Five towe...
TUC: Electricity tariff hike another betrayal of trust
File Photo The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, has expressed disappointment over the latest hike in electricity tariff, describing is as a betrayal of trust. TUC, in a statement by its President and Secretary-General, Quadri Olaleye, and Musa-Lawal Ozigi, respectively, said: “We are disappointed by the recent hike in electricity tariff, while negotiations were ongoing with the Organised Labour on the last hike because of the untold hardship it has brought on the workers and Nigerians as a whole. “Sometimes we wonder why this government espouses unfriendly policies that are capable of crippling the economy. “There are many companies that have either closed shops or relocated to neighbouring countries because they cannot afford to pay the last tariff hike, yet this government has done ...
IBEDC implements revised service tariff
The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) says it has began implementation of the revised service-based reflective tariff as approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). IBEDC Head, Branding and Corporate Communication, Ms Angela Olanrewaju said this in a statement in Ibadan on Tuesday. She said that customers on the pre-paid platform would be the first to experience the revised new tariff which took effect from Nov.1. “Our post-paid customers revised tariff will reflect in the electricity bills they receive at the end of November 2020. “Kindly recall that the new tariff is divided into five bands and based on hours of supply to customers, measured by the daily average availability of supply over a month. “Customers on bands A, B and C will see some level of...
EEDC implements new revised service reflective tariff in South East
The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), on Monday, said it had begun implementation of the new revised Service Reflective Tariff (SRT) within the South-East. The review was based on the outcome of joint consultative meetings held between Federal Government, labour unions and stakeholders, following concerns expressed over the basis for the Service Reflective Tariff earlier planned to be implemented from Sept. 1, 2020. The Head, Corporate Communications, EEDC, Mr Emeka Ezeh, said in a statement in Enugu that the new revised tariff, which took effect on Nov. 1, was approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). Ezeh said that as a result of this development, customers on prepaid platform would begin to experience the revised tariff as they recharge their meters...
NERC: DISCOs collected N114 billion revenues in Q1 of 2020
The latest quarterly report issued by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, showed that a total of N114 billion was collected as revenue by the 11 electricity Distribution Companies, DISCOs, in the first quarter of 2020. The report also indicated that while the collection efficiency decreased considerably, the regulatory agency listed Abuja, Benin and Eko DISCOs as the companies with the most efficient collection systems. Meanwhile, the report which covered the first quarter of 2020 also showed that the country generated more electricity compared to the last quarter of 2019 with total electricity generated put at 8,613,998MWh, 6.33 per cent more than the energy generated during the preceding quarter. The regulatory agency noted that the collection efficiency implied that fo...
Kano Disco clarifies new tariff increment, assures customers of improved supply
The Management of Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) says the new tariff increment as approved by Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) is not applicable to all its customers in Kano, Katsina and Jigawa States. The Management in a statement by Head, Corporate Communications, Ibrahim Sani Shawai, said such clarification become necessary to clear the air on issues around the Band classifications of customers and to put in right perspectives that the tariff increment does not affect all customers. “According to the new tariff, only customers on Bands A, B and C who enjoy a minimum supply of 20, 16 and 12 hours respectively will be affected by the new tariff increment while customers on Band D and E with less than 12 hours of supply per day will not be affected by the in...
Senate demands review of Power Sector Reform Act
The Senate on Wednesday called for the review of the Power Sector Reform Act 2005. According to the upper chamber, a new and more dynamic Electricity Act would among others, “consolidate the roles of regulators and policy makers; bridge existing gaps in the legal and regulatory framework; and cater to post-privatization operational issues in Nigeria’s power sector. The position of the Senate was contained in resolutions reached following consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Power on “Addressing Nigeria’s Power Problems.” Chairman of the Committee, Gabriel Suswam (PDP – Benue North East), in his presentation stressed the need for more consumers to be metered to avoid estimated billing. He added that the Federal Government’s intervention since the privatization of the power...
Meter manufacturer urges Nigerian government to grant sector ‘special’ forex regime
Sabrud Consortium, an indigenous electricity prepaid metre manufacturing firm, has urged the Federal Government to grant special forex regime to the sector. It also applauded the upward review of metre prices by Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) which took effect on June 1. The firm said also that the increase in prices of prepaid electricity meters will boost local production. Chiso Nwangwu, Managing Director of Sabrud Consortium, who spoke to newsmen in Awka on Thursday, said the increase in prices was long overdue as the former rates had become grossly inadequate in view of the prevailing economic realities. Newsmen recall that NERC earlier this month, announced that customers would now pay N44,896.17 instead of N36,991.50 for single phase meters while three phase meter ...
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South East leaders decry injustice against Igbo
Pool Photo A leading Igbo social-political group, Nzuko Umuna, says that Nigeria, particularly the South East, is witnessing insecurity because of injustice, inequalities and lack of governance. Addressing reporters in Abuja on Monday, Sam Amadi, chairman of the legal committee of the think tank, said the unfair and unequal treatment of citizens have compounded the insecurity crisis. Amadi said the South East used to be the ‘safest region in Nigeria, but has become a site of organised criminality.’ ‘Nzuko Umuna recognises that Nigeria has descended into a depth of insecurity partly because of the failure of governance across the country and particularly because of inequities and injustices of political leadership in Nigeria,’ the former chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commi...