Discos fined N1.69bn for overbilling customers

A fine of N1.69bn has been imposed on Abuja Electricity Distribution Company by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission for overbilling customers.

The penalty, documented in Order NERC/2024/114, was issued as part of the commission’s September 2024 Supplementary Order.

The regulatory document, ORDER/NERC/2024/114, which was dated August 30 and signed by Vice Chairman Musiliu Oseni and Commissioner Legal, Licensing and Compliance Dafe Akpeneye, was published on NERC’s website on Thursday.

The fine, according to NERC, is based on AEDC’s non-compliance with the commission’s previous order on capping estimated billing for electricity consumers.

NERC identified that AEDC’s had overcharged customers from January to September 2023, leading to the imposition of the fine which is equivalent to 10 per cent of the overbilled amount.

The regulatory document, titled September 2024 Supplementary Order to the Multi-Year Tariff Order 2024 for AEDC, outlined the reasons behind the fine and adjustments to AEDC’s revenue requirements and tariffs.

The commission stated that it had “approved the deduction of N1.69bn from the total annual OpEx of AEDC effective September 2024, being 10 per cent of the overbilled amount by AEDC for the period covering January-September 2023.”

The fine was levied in response to complaints by consumers and subsequent investigations that revealed AEDC had not adhered to the regulatory guidelines on estimated billing.

NERC’s order emphasised, “The commission has approved the deduction of N1.69bn from AEDC’s annual operating expenditure as a penalty for non-compliance with the order on capping estimated bills.”

Apart from the fine, NERC also issued directives aimed at improving service delivery and monitoring compliance with service-based tariffs.

AEDC is required to ensure the continuous monitoring of its service levels, particularly regarding electricity supply to Band A feeders.

“Where AEDC fails to deliver on the committed level of service on a Band A feeder for consecutive two days, AEDC shall on the next day by 10 am publish on its website an explanation of the reasons for the failure,” the order specified.

Also, the Supplementary Order mandated AEDC to procure a minimum of 61MW of embedded generation, with at least 30MW sourced from renewable energy, to improve the reliability of electricity supply within its franchise area.

It said the procurement of this capacity must be completed by April 2025.

NERC emphasised that this measure was necessary to meet AEDC’s service delivery commitments under its Service-Based Tariff framework.

“AEDC shall make appropriate compensation to the affected customers in Band A feeders listed in Appendix 3 for failure to deliver up to 20 hours of average supply but more than 18 hours of average supply,” the order stated.