Don’t Frustrate Our Efforts In Power Generation, Transmission, FG Warns Electricity Companies

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has threatened to revoke the licenses of Power Distribution Companies that reject electricity allocated to them by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

Adelabu lamented the epileptic power supply across the country despite subsidizing 65 per cent of consumers’ electricity bills.

He warned the DisCos not to reject power loads while assuring that in the next three to six months, the government would ramp up power generation and supply to between 6,000 and 6,500 megawatts.

According to him, “We must address the issues of distribution, and I’ve said before now that the non-performance of Discos in terms of epileptic power supply qualifies as a basis for the revocation of licence.

“If we ramp up generation to 6,000MW as planned in three to six months, and ramp up our infrastructure in transmission to get power to the Discos within the next couple of days, if the Discos are not picking this power, it amounts to nothing.

“So the refusal to take up and supply power by the Discos is a qualified basis for the revocation of licence. Therefore, the Discos should not frustrate our efforts in generation and transmission.”

The minister said it had mandated the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to come up with adequate performance measurement standards for Discos, to ascertain performance information and enable sanctions.

“We should not be toothless bulldogs, barking and barking without biting. We should bite, for by the time we sanction two, three Discos heavily, others will sit up, and it will serve as a deterrent to others that we mean business”, Adelabu warned.

The minister declared that the rejection of electricity would no longer be allowed in the sector, stressing that “they must take up a minimum of 90 to 95 per cent of power supplied to their jurisdiction.”