NERC Fights to Rescue Electricity Consumers From Outrageous Tariff 

    Dr Sam Amadi ,  Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC)
… Order Discos to stop collection losses
Respite may come the way of electricity consumers from outrageous  billing, as the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) recently directed the distribution companies (Discos) to desist from transferring collection losses to consumers.
This, according to the commission, would amount to slashing electricity tariff imposed on loyal consumers by about 50 per cent.
The statement signed by the chairman, NERC, Sam Amadi,  said the commission has been listening to consumers and taking full account of the impact of high tariff on consumers and the Nigerian economy, and has,, therefore, reviewed the basis of the MYTO 2.1 assumptions and has determined that it is inappropriate to transfer to consumers collection losses that are controllable by DISCOs.
“It is the responsibility of the DISCOs to collect their revenue from their customers. Failure to do so should not be a penalty to  customers who pay their bills. It is clear that removing the collection losses will lead to lower tariffs for consumers.
“The removal of collection losses from customer tariff has reduced tariff by more than 50 percent in some places. Please, note that the reduction does not affect the CBN’s facility and its repayment,”
He said: “Since January 1, 2015 when the Nigerian Electricity
Regulatory Commission (NERC) approved the MYTO 2.1 we have received several complaints against the increase in tariff of different  consumer classes. Industrial and commercial consumers under the  auspices of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) petitioned the commission asking for a review of the MYTO 2.1 and requested drastic reduction of their tariff. They claimed that such astronomical increase in tariff would kill their business and lead to massive job losses.
“The Electric Power Sector Reform Act and the Business Rules of the  Commission mandated the commission to review its decision at the  petition of an interested party who complains within 60 days of the decision. Pursuant to these rules, the commission organized public hearing and received evidence from consumer classes on the affordability of the new tariff.
“The commission also invited the chief executive officers of the distribution companies to the hearing to respond to the case of the consumer groups. Furthermore, the commission reviewed the technical and financial assumption of MYTO 2.1. The review shows that the major underlying cause of the skyrocketing increase in the tariff is the huge Aggregate Technical, Commercial and Collection (ATC&C) losses, which are passed on to consumers. In some DISCOs ATC&C losses increased tariff by as much as 80-103 per cent.
“Therefore, On Monday, March 9, 2015 the NERC issued a new order to the effect that, henceforth, collection loss, which is defined as the ‘amount billed but not collected’, will not be automatically passed on to consumers of electricity. Consequently, the collection loss for all DISCOs is set at zero. It is now the responsibility of DISCOs to convince the regulator of any exceptional circumstances for such loss to be passed on to the consumers”.
Amadi, however, noted that the new direction comes as part of the commencement of the Transitional Electricity Market (TEM).
TEM is built on bilateral trading between parties and is geared towards ensuring an efficient market where cost reflectivity will lead to more affordable electric services for consumers.
“As part of preparing for TEM the commission has issued a tariff review regulation that requires the utilities to consult with relevant consumer classes before presenting a tariff review application to the commission to approve. It is now the responsibility of the DISCOs to prepare and present to the commission a tariff that will ensure that they recover their costs and ensure efficient operations.
“This new order now amends the MYTO 2.1 and has reduced the tariff to be paid by all class of consumers. In the review of MYTO 2.1, the commission followed due process and the regulatory principles. The EPSR commits the commission to ensuring full recovery of prudent costs for efficient operators.
“The commission is obligated to make sure that only prudent and efficient costs are passed to consumers. The principle is to ensure that the distribution company operates efficiently and provides quality and affordable services to consumers.
“NERC remains committed to the principle of cost- reflective pricing and to the development of an efficient and financially viable electricity market. These are important to support the investment that is needed to ensure the electricity supply industry meets the needs of the Nigerian economy.
“The decision to review tariff is completely compatible with the terms of the privatization and has been reviewed with the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE).
” NERC and BPE are working together to advocate for series of fiscal policies that will foster easier access to investible capital to further increase capacity and enhance reliability in the sector”, he stated.