Delta hoteliers, residents drag BEDC to NERC over ‘Band A’ billing despite poor power supply

By Jethro Ibileke

Residents and business owners in Effurun and other parts of Uvwie local government area of Delta State have petitioned the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), over the epileptic power supply and exorbitant billing of customers in the area.

They who called for immediate investigation and probe of the Band A metering system by the BEDC Electricity PLC in Uvwie area of the state, stressing that many businesses are at the verge of collapse due to the exorbitant billing system.

They lamented that major companies in the commercial nerve city of Delta might run out of business in no distance time.

The noted that even though they were metered and grouped into ‘Band A’ power distribution system, BEDC has failed to provide the 20 hours daily minimum power supply to consumers in line with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

The concerned business owners and residents, especially Refinery Stream One along NigerCat and other adjoining streets in Ekpan area of the city, lamented that despite paying heavily for electricity, there is almost zero supply of power by BEDC.

They stressed that BEDC power supply is not commensurate to the overbilling by the distribution company, saying that business owners do not enjoy up to 10hrs of power supply, but are subjected to exorbitant billing.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Lascurt Hotel, Mr. Austin Wareyai, who spoke on behalf of hoteliers through a petition, described BEDC’s persistent over-billing amidst poor electricity supply, alleged violations of regulatory standards to be strangulating businesses in Uvwie, especially commercial Refinery Stream 1 area of Uvwie.

He appealed to the presidency, minister of power and NERC to investigate what he described as day-light robbery by BEDC as it would drive many businesses out of service if unchecked.

Wareyai specifically fingered the head of the Warri Regional Office of being behind the exorbitant billing, and urged the NERC and the Minster of Power and other relevant agencies to investigate and probe the concerns of residents and business owners.

The protesters further called on President Bola Tinubu, Minister of Power, Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to quickly intervene and save their respective businesses in the area.

They alleged that the electricity bills issued to businesses at Effurun do not correspond with the actual level and quality of power supply they enjoy.

Reemphasising the concerns, another hotelier, Moses Okpobeku, who claimed that the cost of running their facility despite being assured of 20 hours power supply by BEDC, has skyrocketed and unbearable to businesses.

Okpobeku raised concerns over what he described as “persistent over-billing and meter over-reading” despite irregular electricity supply to the business premises.

He said the billing pattern imposed on his hotel most especially appeared inconsistent with the Service-Based Tariff framework introduced by NERC, which requires electricity consumers to be billed based on the actual hours and quality of supply received.

He stated: “Under the NERC Service-Based Tariff framework, customer billing must be directly tied to the actual quality and duration of electricity supply delivered.”

According to him, despite frequent outages and unstable supply to the facility, the bills issued by BEDC reflect energy consumption levels that do not match the service delivered.

“Our bills indicate consumption levels inconsistent with the quality and duration of electricity supply received,” he added.

The hotel management also expressed concern over the accuracy of its electricity meter, noting that it continues to record unusually high energy consumption despite the use of energy-efficient appliances.

Wareyai said the development raises questions about the reliability of the meter and called for an urgent technical inspection in line with provisions of the NERC Metering Code.

“Our installed meter continues to record unusually high energy consumption despite the use of energy-efficient equipment,” he said.

In addition to the billing concerns, the hotel accused the electricity distribution company of failing to provide stable power supply to the area.

According to the petition, electricity supply to the facility has been highly inconsistent and characterised by frequent interruptions.

“Power supply to our premises has been highly inconsistent and characterised by frequent interruptions,” the hotel said in the complaint.

The management further lamented that the facility regularly experiences low voltage supply, which it said disrupts operations and threatens the safety of electrical equipment.

“We regularly experience low voltage, which disrupts operations and risks damage to electrical equipment,” Wareyai said.

He argued that issuing high electricity bills under conditions of low voltage and poor supply amounts to billing without commensurate service delivery.

“Billing customers heavily under such conditions amounts to charging for electricity that is not effectively delivered,” he stated.

The protesters therefore called on BEDC to conduct an immediate technical inspection and testing of their meters to confirm their accuracy.

They also requested a comprehensive audit of its billing and electricity supply history to determine whether billed energy corresponds with the actual hours and quality of supply delivered to the facility.

They further demanded that any over-billed amounts discovered during the review should be corrected and adjusted accordingly.

They urged the electricity distribution company to ensure that subsequent billing strictly reflects the actual electricity supplied and complies with NERC’s Service-Based Tariff guidelines.

While expressing hope that the issue would be resolved amicably, they warned that failure to address the matter promptly may lead to further escalation through the dispute resolution mechanisms of the NERC.