• NERC threatens to sanction DisCos over deadline for meter migration
The Federal High Court, Lagos has restrained Ikeja Electric Plc, and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) from applying, administering and/or implementing the purported tariff stipulated in the April 2024 Supplementary Order on Tariff Increase On ‘Bank A’ Feeders.
The court, in a ruling on Tuesday, held that the tariff comprises those published by Ikeja Electric on April 4, 2024, and/or the May 2024 Supplementary Order On Tariff Increase On “Band A” it published on May 6, 2024, on a firm, Rida National Plastics Limited.
Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke made the interim injunction after hearing an ex parte application filed by Rida National Plastics’ counsel, Dr Kemi Pinheiro (SAN) with F. Giwa and I. Aderibigbe.
The judge ruled that the order subsists pending Ikeja Electric and NERC’s full compliance with Section 51 of the Electricity Act, 2023 and the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction. He adjourned the suit till July 9, 2024 “for hearing of the motion on notice filed contemporaneously with the instant ex-parte application.”
MEANWHILE, NERC has threatened to sanction distribution companies (DisCos) who failed to complete the migration of Token Identifier of Standard Transfer Specification Meters of their customers before July 31, 2024. The commission made this known at its second Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) stakeholders meeting 2024 at the commission’s headquarters.
Stakeholders discussed the progress report on the STS migration of electricity meters and its approaching deadline. “Sanctions would be meted out to DisCos that fail to complete STS meter migration of their customers after the Commission’s July 31 deadline,” the commission stated in a statement on Tuesday.
The Guardian gathered that it is mandatory for all metered customers to get upgraded as they will not be able to recharge their meters once the deadline for the meter upgrade elapses. Also, customers whose meters are not eligible for migration to STS will need to have their meters replaced to avoid being ruled out of the system
