The Enugu State Electricity Regulatory Commission (ESERC) stated that it has engaged MainPower Electricity Distribution Limited (MEDL), the successor to the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), to address the lingering power outage that has left parts of the state in darkness.

The EERC revealed this in a statement posted on its website on Sunday, August 10.

According to the commission, it had summoned MainPower Electricity to a meeting on August 7 to determine the reasons for reducing power supply and to address the vending challenges faced by customers.

The challenges had started when, on July 21, the EERC reduced Band A electricity tariff to N160/kWh from N209.

This, however, elicited worries among electricity distribution companies (DisCos) and electricity generation companies (GenCos).

On August 4, the management of Mainpower Electricity announced that various parts of the state were facing a power outage following the tariff cut.

This followed a public notice from MainPower that EEDC, its parent company, instructed the reduction of power supply to Bands B to E feeders, alongside vending difficulties being experienced by customers.

Intervening in the issue, the EERC said, “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 Commission, nonetheless, directed MainPower to formally inform customers about the vending challenges and the steps being taken to resolve them.”

The commission said further that, on power supply reduction and dissatisfaction over the tariff order,  it had reminded MainPower Electricity of the provisions in its business rules.

The rules require the company to submit a formal petition within 30 days of the order if dissatisfied, rather than resorting to power cuts.

“The petition will trigger a public hearing on the Tariff Order, and the outcome will be implemented. The Business Rules can be accessed by all stakeholders on the Commission’s website.

“The Commission is engaging relevant stakeholders at both state and federal levels and will apply the appropriate regulatory measures to ensure that developers, service providers, customers, and Ndi Enugu benefit fully from the evolving subnational electricity market in the state,” it said

The EERC also 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 in section 34 (2)(b) of the Enugu State Electricity Law 2023.”

The ICIR reported that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) had said EERC has no regulatory power to fix the electricity price when the power is generated and transmitted from the national grid.

NERC, an independent regulatory body with authority for regulating the electric power industry in Nigeria, clarifies that even though the 2023 Electricity Act gave states the power to regulate electricity in their domain, the power does not supersede that made by the National Assembly to regulate electricity in the federation.