The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) is set to refund over 11 billion Naira to customers in the southeast region for over-billing them between January and September 2023. 

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) discovered that EEDC had overestimated bills for 1,011,402 customers during this period.

NERC’s order mandates that in the billing cycle for February 2024, EEDC must credit the accounts of all over-billed customers based on NERC’s assessment. 

The commission expressed concern over EEDC’s persistent non-compliance with the order on capping estimated bills, which has led to widespread customer dissatisfaction and payment apathy, exacerbating liquidity issues in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).

A review by NERC revealed that EEDC over-billed customers by N11,866,263,420.31. Specific over-billing amounts include N1.93 billion in September, N1.74 billion in August, and N1.70 billion in July 2023. 

NERC ordered EEDC to reconcile and issue credit adjustments for the over-billed customers and to publish the list of beneficiaries in national dailies and on their website by March 31, 2024.

To prevent future non-compliance, NERC ordered a deduction of N1.18 billion from EEDC’s annual operating expenses during the next tariff review. 

The commission warned that further non-compliance could result in additional deductions from EEDC’s administrative expenses. Attempts to get a reaction from EEDC’s spokesperson, Emeka Eze, were unsuccessful.

Ref: Guardian NG