An energy expert and Chief Executive Officer of Solarcentric, Adetunji Iromini, has faulted the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission over its rejection of the Enugu Electricity Regulatory Commission’s reduction of Band A customers’ electricity tariff to N160 per kilowatt-hour from N209/kWh.
Iromini, in an interview with Media Talk Africa on Friday, described NERC’s decision to move against EERC as dangerous.
Media Talk Africa reports that NERC, in a notice on Thursday, said state governments do not have jurisdiction over the national grid or over electric power stations established under federal laws or operating under licences it issued.
The NERC statement comes amid the controversy that followed EERC’s Multi-Year Tariff Order to MainPower, Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, mandating the Disco to slash its Band A tariff to N160/kWh.
EERC’s announcement had generated controversies with Discos and generation companies condemning the move.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, through his spokesman, Bolaji Tunji, reacting to the controversy, said the federal government will not recommend electricity subsidy removal for states.
The latest reaction was NERC’s rejection of EERC’s position on tariff reduction.
However, Iromini questioned whether NERC is not rendering the Electricity Act 2023 ineffective with its latest stance against EERC.
According to him, the Electricity Act 2023 is clear that NERC cannot take a counter position solely on the fact that state governments off-take power from the national grid.
“The Electricity Act 2023 is very clear.
NERC cannot take a counter position solely on the fact that state governments off-take power/energy from a generation company/entity the states didn’t invest in or control. By EA2023, the states are empowered to regulate their markets.
NERC is no longer vested with central and overarching powers on regulation within independently regulated states,” he told Media Talk Africa on Friday.
