On 28 May 2021, Nigeria’s national power generation dropped to 3,059 MW and for the subsequent seven days remained below 4,000 MW, six percent below average production. Low pressure on the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) left several gas turbine power plants with insufficient gas supply, leading to plant shutdowns and widespread power blackouts.
According to the World Bank latest report, most poor households in Nigeria are not connected to the country’s electricity supply network as only 22 per cent of the poorest of them have access to grid power.
Power consumers have raised the alarm that power distribution companies were now selling the free meters that were provided for electricity users by the Federal Government.
To promote a constructive conclusion of the dialogue with the Labour Centers (through the Joint Ad-Hoc Committee), I have directed NERC to forestall the implementation of the duly performed minor review (which adjusted tariffs between N2 per kWh and N4 per kWh) until the conclusion of the Joint Ad Hoc Committee’s work at the end of January 2021.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) says the Commission has not approved the purported 50% increase in electricity tariffs.
Power generation companies (GenCos) have forecast a gloomy future for power, saying there is no clear policy to enhance the performance of the sector in the coming year.
The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company Plc said on Wednesday that it would commence the rollout of free meters to customers under the Federal Government’s National Mass Metering Programme in a bid to bridge the nation’s metering gap.
Ikeja Electric has commenced the implementation of the revised Service Reflective Tariff (SRT), as approved by the Regulator with effect from November 1, 2020.
Power distributors that fail to supply the required quantum of electricity under the new service reflective tariff regime will compensate the affected consumers for defaulting in service delivery.
NERC explained in a media statement that “under these service-based principles Discos will only be able to review tariff rates for customers when they consult with customers, commit to increasing the number of hours of supply per day and quality of service. In all cases poor and vulnerable Nigerians will not experience any increase.”
