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Electricity Tariff Increase: TCN and DISCOs argue over inadequate 20-hour supply
According to an Eko DisCo source, the company was meeting the required minimum of 20 hours, but they also explained that sometimes they supply more than the minimum and then reduce the excess supply from the minimum supply the next day.
Several towns have approached their local distribution companies (DisCos) and asked to be demoted to Band B as a result of Band A customers being irate over the DisCos’ inability to achieve the 20-hour minimum supply.
According to Vanguard, the villages are demanding that they not be made to pay the N225 per kilowatt-hour fee hike that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, or NERC, ordered because they were not receiving the promised 20 hours per day.
Vanguard’s research, however, showed that the DISCOs were not solely to blame because the upstream value chain’s power allotment has drastically decreased, making it more challenging for the DisCos to fulfil the minimum supply norm.
The load allocation to the eleven DisCos, according to data provided by the Independent System Operator over the weekend, was 2,989 Megawatts, a considerable decrease from the 4,200MW average required to meet the tariff requirement.
Abuja Disco received the largest allocation, according to the data, which was 461 MW, down from 611 MW a few days prior. Ikeja Electric (455 MW), Eko DisCo (387 MW), Ibadan DisCo (360 MW), Benin DisCo (245 MW), and Enugu DisCo (216 MW) were the next in line.
The remaining ones were Yola DisCo 85MW, Jos DisCo 170MW, Kaduna Electric 195MW, Kano DisCo 202MW, and Port Harcourt DisCo 213MW.
According to an Eko DisCo source, the company was meeting the required minimum of 20 hours, but they also explained that sometimes they supply more than the minimum and then reduce the excess supply from the minimum supply the next day.
This practice may have given the impression of under-supply to customers. He suggested that customers monitor the average supply over time.
