Hoteliers, residents petition NERC over ‘Band A’ billing, poor power supply by BEDC in Delta

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 epileptic power supply and exorbitant billing of customers in the area.

In a statement sent to PM News, they called for an immediate investigation and probe into the Band A metering system operated by BEDC Electricity Plc in the Uvwie area of the state, stressing that many businesses are on the verge of collapse due to the billing system.

They lamented that major companies in the commercial nerve centre of Delta State might run out of business in no distant time.

They noted that even though they were metered and grouped under the ‘Band A’ power distribution system, BEDC has failed to provide the minimum 20 hours of daily power supply to consumers as stipulated by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.

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

They stressed that BEDC’s power supply is not commensurate with the alleged overbilling by the distribution company, noting that business owners do not enjoy up to 10 hours of power supply but are still subjected to high electricity bills.

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 overbilling amid poor electricity supply and alleged violations of regulatory standards as strangulating businesses in Uvwie, particularly in the commercial Refinery Stream One area.

He appealed to the Presidency, the Minister of Power, and NERC to investigate what he described as “daylight robbery” by BEDC, warning that it could drive many businesses out of operation if left unchecked.

Wareyai specifically accused the head of the Warri Regional Office of being responsible for the exorbitant billing and urged NERC, the Minister of Power, and other relevant agencies to investigate the concerns raised by residents and business owners.

The protesters also called on President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Power, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, and NERC to urgently intervene to save businesses in the area.

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

Re-emphasising the concerns, another hotelier, Moses Okpobeku, said the cost of running their facility has skyrocketed and become unbearable despite assurances of 20 hours of power supply by BEDC.

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

He said the billing pattern imposed on his hotel appears 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 their billing and electricity supply history to determine whether billed energy corresponds with the actual hours and quality of supply delivered.

They further demanded that any overbilled amounts discovered during the review 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 NERC’s dispute resolution mechanisms.