The Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) and Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) have registered separate electricity distribution companies (Discos) with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to distribute electricity in Ekiti State in compliance with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (NERC) order.
The development will enable the newly registered Discos to provide distinct electricity distribution services exclusively to the state.
It would be recalled that the NERC had ceded its regulatory oversight in the state to Ekiti State Electricity Regulatory Bureau (EERB).
The NERC said that while it exercises regulatory oversight of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) in accordance with the Electricity Act 2023, its current ceding was part of the legal requirement to decentralise the operations of Gencos and Discos in Nigeria, as well as even the single Transco.
The new arrangement has been announced so far for Ekiti, Enugu and Ondo states, which have existing electricity regulatory bureau established through laws enacted by their respective Houses of Assembly, and who have met other constitutional provisions.
The newly registered distribution companies are the Ekiti Electricity Distribution Company Limited with Reg. No. RC 7535457 registered by IBEDC on May 30, 2024, and BEDC Electricity Ekiti Limited with Reg. No. RC 7629775, with June 28, 2024, as the effective date of registration by BEDC.
Ekiti State Commissioner for Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Prof. Bolaji Aluko, who disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, yesterday, said that the Ekiti Electricity Regulatory Bureau would license the new companies, upon application for operation within the state, with close monitoring and evaluation for improved effective and efficient service delivery.
He said that the state government would leave no stone unturned to ensure a seamless supply of electricity to residents of the state.
Aluko, who stated that one Genco and three Discos would now be operating in the state, expressed the confidence that a competitive and enabling environment would encourage investors in the power sector to grace the state with alternate sources of power, especially renewable energy.
