In its latest 2023 Second Quarter report, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has revealed that power distributors failed to accept an average of 114.53 megawatts-hour/hour of electricity during the second quarter of 2023, despite a constrained supply of electricity across the nation.
According to the NERC report, power distributors installed 178,864 new meters for consumers during the same period.
The commission also noted a significant increase in power users’ complaints, which rose by approximately 31%.
Mechanical faults and gas constraints were cited as factors contributing to reduced power generation in the second quarter of the year.
Data from the regulator indicated that all 11 power distribution companies accepted less power than their contracted capacities, resulting in an average cumulative load rejection of 114.53 megawatts-hour/hour, leading to blackouts in various locations nationwide.
During the three-month period, the combined average energy offtake by the 11 Discos was 3,251.31 megawatts-hour/hour, while their available Partially Contracted Capacity was 3,365.84 megawatts-hour/hour.
Under the Partial Activation of Contract regime, Discos are required to fulfill their take-or-pay obligations on their Partially Contracted Capacity.
The NERC report outlined that the failure to meet load offtake thresholds could trigger regulatory actions against the management of the Discos.
The report indicated that in the second quarter of 2023, all the Discos except Eko Disco took less power than their available Partially Contracted Capacity.
The report further noted that 178,864 meters were installed during the second quarter of 2023, marking a 2.04% increase compared to the first quarter of the year.
Of these, 168,397 meters were installed under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) framework, while 9,302 meters were installed under the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) framework.
As of June 30, 2023, there were 12,561,049 registered electricity customers, with 44.16% of them (5,546,483) having meters.
The Ikeja, Ibadan, Abuja, and Enugu Discos accounted for the highest number of meter installations in the second quarter of 2023.
Regarding customer complaints, NERC reported a total of 325,898 complaints received in the second quarter of 2023, representing a 30.52% increase compared to the first quarter of the year when 249,683 complaints were received.