The electricity regulator, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) ordered a department within the Transmission Company of Nigeria, the System Operator (SO), to cap power supply to the three neigbhouring customers to six per cent.
Over years Nigeria has been struggling with power distribution, limited distribution networks, limited transmission line capacity, a huge metering gap, and a fall in gas supply.
The Federal Government who had decided to improve the domestic supply of power in the nation by cutting the sales to cross-border in the Niger Republic, Niger Republic and Togo
According to the document, power delivery to Nigeria’s neighbours must not exceed six per cent of the total grid electricity at any given time.
The electricity sector regulator expressed concern about sub-optimal grid dispatch practices, which have impacted the ability of Distribution Companies (DisCos) to meet their service tariff commitments to end-users.
“The reliance on limiting Discos’ load off-take while prioritising international off-takers and Eligible Customers has proven neither efficient nor equitable,” the document read.
NERC stressed that the current international and bilateral contracts with Generation Companies (GenCos) often fall short of industry standards.
It stated that many off-takers contracted bilaterally by GenCos exploit this prioritisation, exceeding their contracted levels during peak operations without penalties.
As an interim measure, NERC said the move was targeted at guiding the system operator and TCN in implementing Standard Operating Procedures to enhance transparency and fairness in grid operations.