The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has ordered the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company to compensate several communities in Kogi and Abuja for service failures.
This mandate follows the company’s inability to meet the required service delivery commitments outlined under the Service-Based Tariff system.
According to a NERC document released on Thursday, the affected areas include Wuse, Garki, Asokoro in Abuja, and Ajaokuta Confluence in Lokoja, Kogi State. Disco
These areas experienced insufficient electricity supply between August 1 and 25, 2024, despite being on Band A, which promised a minimum of 20 hours of daily electricity supply.
For instance, the 132kv Central Area T/S_33KV FDR_B33_8B Wuse feeder recorded an average performance of 16.52 hours.
NERC has directed that this feeder be downgraded from Band A to Band B, stating that “the area should be downgraded to Band B and the customers compensated accordingly.”
Other feeders in Garki, including 132KV APO T/S-33KV FDR H2_G4_3B, which serves Garki, Abuja, Police Cantonment, and EFAB Mall, recorded an average performance of 18 hours.
Similarly, the 132KV APO T/S-33KV FDR H2_G4_8A, which serves Balargy in Garki, recorded an average performance of 19.56 hours.
Feeder 132KV APO T/S-33KV FDR H5_R6_4A in Asokoro averaged 18.16 hours.
In Kogi State, the Ajaokuta Confluence Lokoja feeder performed at 19.80 hours, below the Band A requirement.
NERC has mandated AEDC to compensate these communities for the shortfall in service delivery.
The compensation is part of NERC’s broader efforts to ensure that electricity distribution companies in Nigeria meet their service-based tariff commitments.
According to the regulatory body, any feeder that fails to meet the required hours of electricity supply for seven consecutive days will be downgraded, and affected customers must be compensated.
The NERC document states, “Where AEDC fails to deliver on the committed level of service on a Band A feeder for seven consecutive days, the feeder shall be automatically downgraded.”
This directive is expected to put more pressure on AEDC to meet its service delivery obligations while ensuring that consumers are not unfairly charged for electricity that is not delivered.
The company has also been instructed to procure embedded generation capacity to improve supply reliability.
“AEDC is obligated by this Order to procure a minimum of 61MW capacity of embedded generation, being 10% of its 2024 load allocation, to improve the reliability of supply,” NERC stated.
This development comes as part of the Federal Government’s broader efforts to ensure accountability and improve electricity supply across the country while protecting consumers from undue service failures.