The Enugu State Electricity Regulatory Commission (EERC) has assured its customers that it is taking steps to resolve erratic power supply in different parts of the state.
The commission disclosed this in a statement posted on its website on Sunday evening.
The commission said it met with both EEDC and MainPower, assuring Enugu residents that it was taking the necessary steps to restore normalcy.
“Sequel to the public announcement from MainPower, which stated that EEDC directed the curtailing of power supply to Bands B to E Feeders, and the challenges in vending being experienced by the customers in the state, we invited MainPower to a meeting.
“The aim is to ascertain the reasons for the decision to curtail power supply in Enugu State and the vending challenges being experienced by customers.
“During the meeting, MainPower explained that they (MainPower and EEDC) were having difficulties separating Enugu State from the rest of the states in the coverage area of EEDC.
“This challenge was termed ‘code coverage conflicts and related glitches’ but gave assurance that the issue would be sorted out very soon,” the commission said.
EERC, however, mandated MainPower to formally communicate with the customers on vending challenges and efforts being made to resolve it.
The commission also reminded the company of the provisions of its Business Rules, which require that it should make a formal petition within 30 days of the commission’s tariff order if it was not satisfied, instead of resorting to curtailing supply.
“The petition will enable a public hearing on the Tariff Order, to which the outcome will be implemented.
“The Business Rules are accessible to all the stakeholders on the commission’s website (www.eerc.en.gov.ng),” it stated.
EERC added that it was consulting with relevant stakeholders at the state and federal levels and will endeavour to apply an appropriate regulatory approach in dealing with the issue.
It maintained that the measure would help to ensure that developers, service providers, customers, and Enugu people get the full benefit of the evolving subnational electricity market in the state.
“We will also ensure that MainPower recovers sufficient revenue that covers their efficient costs of doing business in Enugu State plus a fair return on capital invested, as provided in section 34 (2)(b) of the Enugu State Electricity Law 2023,” the commission added.
Back story
MainPower Electricity Distribution Company Limited had, on August 4, issued a statement and blamed the development on the drastic reduction of energy being supplied to it by the parent company, the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC).
It stated that the reduction followed the decision to slash the electricity tariff for Band A from N209 per kWh to N160 per kWh.
Many parts of the state, especially those in Bands B to E, had been thrown into darkness since August 1 to date.
What you should know
In its reaction, the Forum for Commissioners of Power and Energy in Nigeria (FOCPEN) condemned what it described as deliberate and ongoing power outages in Enugu State, allegedly caused by the EEDC reducing supply to the state’s electricity market.
The commissioners called on the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to immediately call EEDC to order.
Also, the group called on the Minister of Power, Chief Bayo Adelabu, to immediately intervene and prevail upon NERC and EEDC to reverse the power cuts and restore electricity to Enugu State.
