They noted that Band A customers are entitled to a minimum of 20 hours of electricity supply daily under regulations of the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
Residents of Enugu State, particularly those living in the Emene axis, Thinkers Corner, among others have expressed outrage over worsening power outages despite paying the premium Band A electricity tariff of N209 per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
They noted that Band A customers are entitled to a minimum of 20 hours of electricity supply daily under regulations of the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
However, residents say they now receive less than 10 hours of power a day, raising accusations of exploitation by electricity distribution companies.
“This is fraud,” said Chinoso Emeh, a Band A customer in Emene.
“The Federal Government, through NERC, keeps approving tariff increases for the Discos, yet they hardly supply electricity. If we are paying N209 per kilowatt-hour and not getting up to 10 hours of power, how are we supposed to be compensated?”
The complaints come amid regulatory and commercial disputes in Enugu’s power sector following a tariff cut announced earlier this year by the Enugu State Electricity Regulatory Commission (EERC).
In July, SaharaReporters reported that the EERC reduced the Band A tariff from N209/kWh to N160/kWh, with effect from August 1, 2025.
Announcing the decision, EERC Chairman Chijioke Okonkwo said the new rate was based on a cost-reflective tariff model that factored in federal government subsidies on electricity generation.
“We reviewed their entire costs using our Tariff Methodology Regulations 2024 and the Distribution Tariff Model and arrived at an average price of N94,” Okonkwo explained.
“The price is low because the Federal Government is subsidising generation costs by about N45 out of the actual cost of N112 for Enugu State.”
Under the revised order, Band A customers were to pay N160/kWh, while tariffs for Bands B, C, D, and E were frozen.
According to Okonkwo, the adjustment was intended to cushion residents from rising energy costs while helping the operator manage rate shocks.
“Band A, at N160, will help MainPower manage the shock, and if the subsidy is removed, the savings will assist in stabilising tariffs over a defined period,” he said, adding that the reduced rate could become unsustainable if federal subsidies were withdrawn.
The tariff reduction, however, sparked backlash from the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) Plc. Shortly after the EERC’s announcement, power supply dropped sharply across major parts of the state.
On August 4, MainPower Electricity Distribution Limited, an EEDC subsidiary, attributed widespread outages to reduced energy allocation from its parent company. In a public statement, the firm said EEDC had cut supply after concluding that the new tariff would result in losses exceeding N1 billion monthly.
“After analysing the implications of the new tariff, EEDC concluded that implementing it would make it impossible for the company to meet its market obligations,” MainPower said.
“Consequently, EEDC made the difficult decision to reduce the volume of energy supplied to MEDL.”
The company apologised to customers and said it was engaging state and federal authorities to resolve the impasse.
“We deeply regret the inconvenience caused and appeal for patience as discussions continue,” the statement added.
Despite the EERC’s position, Band A customers were later returned to the N209/kWh tariff, even as power supply remained erratic in many areas.
Residents say the situation has left them paying higher rates for poorer service. “We are being forced to pay premium tariffs without premium supply,” another resident said.
“If this continues, regulators must step in and enforce refunds or compensation.”
As outages persist, consumers are calling on NERC and the Enugu State government to enforce service-level agreements and protect customers from what they describe as systematic overbilling without corresponding electricity supply.