EERC May Conduct Public Hearing into Cut in Power Supply to Enugu 

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja 

The Enugu State Electricity Regulatory Commission (EERC) has urged MainPower to follow the provisions of the Commission’s Business Rules which require that they make a formal petition within 30 days of the Commission’s Order if they were not satisfied with the directive.

The commission in a statement noted that this will eventually lead to public hearing where the grievances of the parties will be made known, discussed and resolved, instead of cutting power supply unilaterally.

The disagreement emanated when on July 21, the EERC reduced the Band ‘A’ electricity tariff in Enugu to N160/kWh from N209, leading to concerns among electricity Distribution Companies (Discos) and electricity Generation Companies (Gencos).

“As regards the curtailing of power supply in Enugu, and their dissatisfaction with the Tariff Order from the Commission, thereby plunging parts of the state into darkness, the Commission reminded MainPower of the provisions of the Commission’s Business Rules which require that they make a formal petition within 30 days of the Commission’s Order if they were not satisfied with the Order, instead of resulting in curtailing of supply. 

“The petition will enable a public hearing on the Tariff Order to which the outcome will be implemented. The Commission is consulting with relevant stakeholders at the state and federal level and will endeavour to apply appropriate regulatory approach in dealing with this issue to ensure that developers, service providers, customers and Ndi Enugu get the full benefit of the evolving subnational electricity market in the State,” the statement added.

The EERC said it already summoned MainPower Electricity to a meeting on August 7 to determine the Disco’s reasons for reducing power supply and to address vending challenges faced by customers.

“During the meeting, MainPower disclosed that they (MainPower and EEDC) were encountering difficulties in isolating Enugu State from other states within EEDC’s service area. This issue, referred to as ‘code coverage conflicts and related glitches,’ would, however, be resolved soon,” the statement noted.

“The Commission, nonetheless, directed MainPower to formally inform customers about the vending challenges and the steps being taken to resolve them,” it stressed.

Besides, the commission said it would ensure MainPower generates enough revenue to cover its efficient operating costs in Enugu, along with a fair return on invested capital, as stipulated by the law.