Regulators, power company hold discussion as blackout persists in Enugu

The Enugu State Electricity Regulatory Commission (EERC) says it is taking steps to resolve erratic power supply in different parts of the state.

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The commission disclosed this in a statement posted on its website on Sunday evening.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that MainPower Electricity Distribution Company Limited issued a statement on 4 August blaming the development on the drastic reduction of energy 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 tariffs for Band A from N209 to N160 per kWh.

NAN also reports that many parts of the state, especially those in Bands B to E, have been in darkness since 1 August.

The commission said it met with both EEDC and MainPower and assured Enugu residents that it was taking steps to restore the power supply.

“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.

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“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 that MainPower formally communicate with the customers about vending challenges and the efforts being made to resolve them.

The commission also reminded the company of the provisions of its business rules, which require that it make a formal petition within 30 days of the commission’s tariff order if it is not satisfied, instead of resorting to curtailing supply.

“The petition will enable a public hearing on the Tariff Order which the outcome will be implemented.

“The business rules are accessible to all the stakeholders on the commission’s website,” it stated.

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EERC added that it was consulting with relevant stakeholders at the state and federal levels and would endeavour to apply an appropriate regulatory approach to the issue.

It maintained that the measure would help ensure that developers, service providers, customers, and the Enugu people fully benefit from the state’s evolving subnational electricity market.

“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.