BARELY two months after the implementation the contentious increase in electricity tariff increase, the federal government has again given approval for another increase in the tariff by customers, Daily Trust reported on Tuesday.
The report said the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) approved over 50% hike in electricity tariff payable by customers of the 11 Distribution Companies (DisCos). This is coming just two months after it finally implemented a much opposed hike in November 2020.
According to a revised Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO) signed by the new Chairman of NERC, Engr. Sanusi Garba, on December 30, 2020, and sighted Tuesday, the new tariff increase took effect on January 1, 2021, and supersedes the previous Order NERC/2028/2020.
In the new Order NERC/225/2020, the commission said it considered the 14.9% inflation rate rise in November 2020, foreign exchange of N379.4/$1 as of December 29, 2020, available generation capacity, US inflation rate of 1.22% and the Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) of the power firms to raise the tariff.
The revised Service Based Tariff (SBT) also saw increase in the rates payable by all classes of electricity users unlike the one of November 2020, that exempted low power getters.
This is effective till June 2021 while a Cost Reflective Tariff (CRT) expected to raise the new cost higher will be activated from June to December 2021, the NERC Order revealed.
The NERC had in December, 2020, NERC notified the public that it had begun a review for another tariff, which has been completed and would take effect from January 1, 2021.
NERC had raised tariff for the DisCos in September but that drew outrages from customers and the organised labour, prompting the federal government to suspend it while parties dialogued.
By November 1, 2020, the suspended tariff was implemented after some discounts were given for customers who get 12 hours and above power supply daily. However, those with less than 12 hours supply did not get a tariff hike, according to the NERC order of November 2020.
