Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) Wednesday locked horns over who should control the 330/132 KV electricity consumers.
At the public hearing on the review of the TEM Supplementary Order-NERC/15/0011 (Transfer of 132 kV customers to Discos) held in Abuja, the TCN Managing Director, Mr Mohammed Gur Usman said disco could not control any load on customers connected to 330kV/132kV because they did not offer any service to them.
The public hearing was at the instance of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
Usman also stated that Discos were not technically empowered to operate at the 330kV/132kV networks level.
He said: “The Discos only have provisional obligations to provide electricity to customers connected to 33kV and below voltage level, and are not allowed by the EPSRA to trade with customers connected to 132kV or 330kV.
“The allocation of 330kV/132kV customers to the Discos is in clear violation of Section 67 (2) and Section 100 of the EPSRA. NERC orders allocating 330kV/132kV customers to Discos contradict various sections of the EPSRA and thereby making NERC to act ultra vires by allocating these customers to the Discos.
“Allowing Discos to charge customers connected to 132kV and 330kV is a gross violation of EPSRA tariff setting principles. 132kV and 330kV customers do not impose any costs on Discos; the Discos are basically collecting revenues for services they do not provide. 3 0 Suggested Way Out 31 Eligible Customer Regulation.
“TCN humbly urges the commission to review the said provisions of Rule 8(a) (viii). The commission should automatically migrate 330kV/132kV to Eligible Customers’’.
But in their separate presentations, the representatives of Kano, Jos, Benin, Enugu, Port Harcourt and Ibadan discos said the demand by TCN would crumble the electricity market and scare away the would-be investors.
On his part, the Regulatory Manager, Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), Mr Adetunji Adeyeye, said the call for a review of the order by TCN would further result in an increased liquidity gap in the sector.
He said the law should be applied appropriately, noting that TCN’s call for a review of the TEM order was not possible legally.
He urged NERC to disregard the request in the interest of the entire value chain.
