NERC Denies 50% Electricity Tariff Increase But Admits Rate Adjustment

The management of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) says there is no 50 per cent increase in electricity tariff.

This was made known by NERC’s Head of Public Affairs, Mr Micheal Faloseyi, in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday.

Faloseyi spoke against the backdrop in some quarters that the electricity tariff had been increased by 50 per cent.

He said: “The commission hereby state unequivocally that no approval has been granted for 50 per cent tariff increase in the tariff order for Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) which took effect from January 1, 2021.

“On the contrary, the tariff for customers on Service Bands D and E (customers being served less than an average of 12 hours of supply per day for a period of one month) remains frozen and subsidised in line with the policy direction of the Federal Government.

“In compliance with the Electric Power Sector Reforms Acts (EPRSA) and the nation’s tariff methodology for biannual review, the rates for Service Bands A, B, C, D and E have been adjusted by N2.00 to N4.00 per kWhr to reflect the partial impact of inflation and movement in foreign exchange rates,” he said.

Faloseyi said that the commission remains committed to protecting electricity consumers from failure to deliver on committed service levels under the service-based tariff regime.

According to him, any customer that has been impacted by any rate increase beyond the above provision of the tariff order should report to the commission at customer.complaints@nerc.gov.ng.