After months of complaints from residents and businesses across Enugu State, South-East Nigeria over poor electricity supply, the Enugu Electricity Regulatory Commission, EERC, has sanctioned MainPower Electricity Distribution Company Limited by downgrading 59 feeders under its network.
The move follows growing anger among customers, especially those on Band A, who say they have continued to pay high electricity tariffs without enjoying the level of supply promised under the Service-Based Tariff system.
MainPower, a subsidiary of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, supplies electricity to customers in Enugu State.
Under the tariff structure introduced by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, Band A customers are expected to receive at least 20 hours of electricity daily, while Band B customers should get 16 hours. Band C customers are entitled to 12 hours, Band D eight hours, and Band E four hours daily.
While the arrangement initially gave many residents hope of improved power supply, consumers say the situation has worsened in recent months, with many areas experiencing long hours of blackout despite being billed at higher rates.
Following the complaints, the EERC said it carried out technical inspections and monitored MainPower’s feeder performance through its digital tracking platform.
According to the Commission, its findings confirmed that several feeders were no longer meeting the minimum supply hours required for their current tariff bands.
In a public notice announcing the decision, the Commission said the downgrade would remain until MainPower improves electricity supply on the affected feeders.
“The findings from the Commission’s field inspection and the online monitoring platform corroborated customers’ complaints that MainPower had failed to deliver the expected hours of supply as required under the Service-Based Tariff (SBT) regime,” the notice stated.
Some of the affected feeders include 9th Mile Industrial, Abakaliki Road, Abakpa 1 and Abakpa 2, all downgraded from Band A to Band C. Abakpa 3 was moved from Band B to Band C, while Amorji and Nsukka Township were downgraded from Band B to Band D.
In a development many residents described as symbolic, the Government House feeder was also downgraded from Band A to B and E, the lowest category under the tariff structure.
Other affected areas include Presidential, UNEC, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Emene, Topland, Ugwuoye, Chime Avenue, Achi, Amechi, Ibagwa, Ugwuogo, Ugwuaji, Okwe, NOWAS, Coal Camp, Coca Cola and Dhamija, among others.
The Commission, however, said feeders could be upgraded again once MainPower proves it can consistently meet the required supply hours.
For many electricity consumers in Enugu, the decision is being seen as a long-awaited response to months of complaints over poor electricity supply and high tariffs.
Residents are now demanding that the downgrade should immediately reflect in their electricity bills, insisting that customers should only pay for the level of service they actually receive.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
