NERC goes after IKEDC, six others over uncapped estimated billing

Five power distribution companies, including Ikeja Electric face serious sanctions from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) over their failure to comply with the orders to cap estimated bills to customers.

NERC in tweet post on their official twitter handle expressed its intention to commence enforcement action against Ikeja, Enugu, Eko, Benin, Kano, Kaduna, and Port Harcourt, issuing a timeframe of 14 days to explain why they should not be sanctioned.

The power sector regulatory agency in its statement said, “The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has issued notices of intention to commence enforcement action against seven electricity distribution companies over their failure to comply with the order 197/2020 on capping of unmetered R2 and C1 electricity customers’’.

NERC’s order 197/2020 places limits on estimated bills that the DisCos can charge the unmetered consumers of residential (R2) and commercial (C1)

These distribution companies were given a timeframe of 14 days with effect from June 4, 2020, to explain why the regulatory commission should not sanction them over their alleged failure to comply with the order.

The NERC had in February issued order No/NERC/197/2020 on capping of estimated billings in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, thereby placing a cap on estimated bills to unmetered customers.

This was to protect unmetered R2 (Residential single and 3 phase meters, who consume more than 50kwh per month) and C1 (Commercial single and 3 phase meters, small businesses) customers from estimated and arbitrary billing and hopefully hasten the process of metering.