Joseph Bakare
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has stepped up efforts to curb energy theft with the release of an amended Order detailing new threshold of penalties for customers and Distribution Companies (DIsCos) on “Unauthorised Access, Meter Tampering, and By-Pass.”
The Amended Order, which replaces Order No: NERC/REG/41/2017, has taken effect from 22 January 2025.
According to the Commission the Order, “aligns with the Electricity Act 2023 and the Customer Protection Regulations (CPR) 2023, which allow Distribution Companies (DisCos) to disconnect unauthorised connections without notice and prescribe reconnection conditions.”
The Order aims at reducing unauthorised access to electricity, meter tampering, and by-pass; and to establish transparent reconnection guidelines to ensure compliance.
It it proffered three key provisions on reconnection Conditions & Charges; Administrative Charges; and Compensation for Delayed Reconnection.”
Going forward any customer who by-pass meters or gain unauthorised access must pay administrative charges (including meter replacement costs) and reconnection costs.
Any customer that gains unauthorised access to electricity
through tampering or meter by-pass wll be reconnected upon payment of the administrative charges including
meter replacement cost which shall not exceed the sum outlined below:
For Non-MD Single Phase, (Residential) with first Offense will pay N100,000 while he/she will pay N150,000 for subsequent Offense.
Also, Non-MD Three Phase (Residential) customers will pay N200k for the first Offense and pay N300k for subsequent Offense, while Maximum Demand (MD) customers will pay a fine of 450 per cent of last recorded consumption for the first Offense and 600 per cent of last recorded consumption for a subsequent Offense.
To be reconnection, the Non-MD customer will pay N10,000 while the MD customers will pay 50,000 to be reconnected.
However, if DisCos fail to reconnect a customer within 48 hours after payment, they must compensate with 100 per cent of daily energy consumption in energy credit.
Customers guilty of unauthorised access must pay for the loss of revenue through back-billing at the prevailing tariff