Newly licenced Mainpower Electricity Distribution Company said it has developed a comprehensive transformation plan aimed at strengthening Enugu State’s electricity distribution network.

Its Managing Director, Dr Ernest Mupwaya, said the plan includes improving maintenance, deploying automation technologies, and expanding metering infrastructure across the state.

Speaking to The Guardian in Enugu, he noted that the company intends to eliminate estimated billing by ensuring that all electricity consumers are metered by 2027.

“We will close the entire metering gap by 2027. Every customer must have a meter,” he said, adding that the new approval provides long-term certainty for the company to implement its transformation strategy.

He explained that the company’s earlier permit was an interim licence which has now expired. “What we have now is a full licence for the next 20 years. That certainty allows us to plan improvement programmes over a longer horizon,” he said.

Mupwaya acknowledged that some of the existing infrastructure is old, with parts of the distribution network dating back about 40 years. However, he assured residents that the company would implement phased improvements to modernise the system.

MEANWHILE, Enugu Air, yesterday, received the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), a development it described as a significant step in the realisation of Governor Peter Mbah’s vision to position Enugu as a regional hub for commerce, logistics, and aviation in West and Central Africa.

Presenting the AOC to Enugu Air’s Accountable Manager/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Captain Tolu Ita, at the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) headquarters in Abuja, the agency’s Director General, Captain Chris Najomo, described the development as historic in the
Nigerian aviation industry, noting that Enugu Air completed the rigorous certification process in just five months and three weeks, significantly faster than the typical industry timeline of 15 to 24 months.

According to Captain Njomo, the fully state-owned airline also distinguished itself by commencing operations with a complete fleet of six aircraft, which he said was a rare feat for a newly certified airline in the country.