Discos Allegedly Reject Power Supply From Gencos

The rejection of load allocations from power generating plants by some electricity distribution companies is one of the factors preventing the country from fully benefitting from the 6,500 megawatts generation capacity of the existing power plants, The Punch reports.

Some power plant units were allegedly shut due to high frequency occasioned by the inability of the distribution companies to pick their load allocations. 

 

NLC Blasts Amadi Over Electricity Tariff Statement

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Sunday responded to the immediate past Chairman, Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Sam Amadi, who said that the Senate acted beyond its constitutional powers in directing that the recent hike in electricity tariffs be rescinded, Premium Times reports.

Benin DisCo Resolves 50,572 Customers’ Issues

The Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) has, through its new payment channels, metering programme and Customer Complaint Unit, resolved over 50,572 customer matters, The Nationreports.

Corporate customers on its network have also begun to enjoy better and quality power supply, the firm said in a statement. It added;

Amadi Admits 70% of Electricity Consumers Are Still Not Metered

The immediate past chairman Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr. Sam Amadi, has said about 70 per cent of electricity consumers are not metered and that this has hampered accurate billing by Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs), The Nation reports.

IBEDC Laments N5.9bn Debt Owed by MDAs

The management of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has said its in dire need of funds to boost its operations just as it called for speedy settlement of N5.9 billion owed by government agencies and the military to date, Leadership reports.

Mr John Donnachie, the managing director of IBEDC stated this yesterday against the back drop of the proposed increase of electricity tariffs expected to take off on February 1.

Escravos Attack: Nigerian Govt. Losing N471  Million Daily in Gas, Electricity Disruptions

The Nigerian government on Tuesday counted its costs in terms of multiple losses suffered in massive disruption to gas and electricity supplies in the wake of last weekend’s attacks on the Nigerian Gas Company’s gas pipeline by suspected Niger Delta militants.

Government said the attack on the Escravos Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) connected to Chevron Nigeria Limited’s gas network at Escravos negatively impacted on the 600 mega watts (MW) Olorunsogo National Integrated Power Plant and other critical power projects in the region.

Power: Nigeria Moves Against Estimated Billing

 

Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Power, Works and Housing

With an estimated three million customers who use electricity in Nigeria but are not metred, the Nigerian government is accelerating ways to ensure that issues of estimated bills by electricity distribution companies ends as soon as possible.

Part of the strategies involves encouraging local manufacturers of pr-paid metres to produce standard metres to get every customer to only pay for what he consumes.

Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, who has met with local manufacturing companies, said he was determined to refocus attention on the need to rapidly roll-out meters in order to ensure that distribution companies charge electricity consumers only for energy they consumed.

Ogun Communities Threaten To Shut Down IBEDC Over Poor Electricity 

Disgruntled communities in Ogun State have threatened to shut down the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) over lack of electricity, Punch reports.

It has been alleged that communities have been disconnected from the IBEDC power source in Abeokuta, as the demand for power is greater than what the power plant can supply. Members of the community also revealed that they had been promised electricity provided from an independent power project in Ako Are three years ago and they remain waiting.

Kaduna Electric To Begin Deployment of Smart Meters

Kaduna Electric has said that it will, from next week, begin the deployment of hi-tech smart energy meters for electricity users within its franchise area as part of plans to ensure the metering of all customers and gradually phase out estimated billing, Leadership reports.

The company’s head, Energy Meters and New Connections, Mr Aliyu Abbas Abdullahi, disclosed this at the opening session of a five-day training programme jointly organised by the company and Elsewedy Electric of Egypt for metering engineers and installers in Kaduna.

Abdullahi announced that the first consignment of about 100,000 meters ordered by Kaduna Electric has arrived the country, hence the training to properly equip the company’s meter engineers and installers with the necessary and requisite knowledge on the installation, maintenance, and operations of the meters.

Source: Energy Mix Report

NERC Suggests Measures to Prevent MDAs’ Electricity Debt

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has said that it has made proposals to the National Assembly on how to prevent the accumulation of future electricity debts by government ministries, department and agencies (MDAs), Leadership reports.

Speaking during a workshop in Abuja, NERC chairman, Dr Sam Amadi explained that the strategy involved adopting the earmark strategy practised in the United States which stipulates that each MDA’s budget have clear earmarks for paying electricity bills with conditions that the money cannot be used for anything else.

Electricity Subsidy For Rural Consumers Uncertain

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola has said that the possibility of providing some level of financial subsidy for electricity consumers in Nigeria’s rural communities remains uncertain due to limited finances.

Fashola however, added that the government was already considering recommendations on what would work for it going forward in this regard.