Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry Experiences Deficit Of Over 64% Installed Capacity In 2023, NERC Report

…Reveals Total Resolution of 1,161,620 Customer Complaints

Statistics released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has revealed that the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) experienced deficit of more than 64% of the installed capacity in 2023.

Further, NERC disclosed total resolution of 1,161,620 complaints from customers through the NERC-CCU (Customers Care Unit) which received 7,207 complaints and resolved 5,067 complaints while all DisCos-CCU received 1,220,245 complaints out of which, 1,156,553 were resolved within the year under review.

These were contained in the 2023 Annual Report and Accounts of NERC released on Monday.

According to the report on available capacity and generation, the average daily available capacity of the 27 grid-connected power plants was 4,544.13MW.

“The total generation during the year was
36,710.38GWh which translates to an average hourly generation
of 4,190.68MWh/h. The overall availability factor for all grid connected plants was 35.90%, which indicates that more than 64% of the installed capacity in the NESI was not available in 2023. Hydropower plants contributed 9,086.90 GWh (24.75%) to the total generation in 2023″, the report stated.

In terms consumer affairs and customer complaints resolution, in 2023, the NERC-CCU received 7,207 complaints and 5,067 were resolved corresponding to a 70.31% resolution rate.

The complaints were dominated by issues concerning metering, billing, and service interruption which accounted for 82.82%
(5,969) of the total complaints at the NERC-CCU in 2023

According to the report also, “The total number of complaints received across all DisCos-CCU in 2023 was 1,220,245 out of which, 1,156,553 were resolved
(resolution rate – 94.78%). Like the complaints received at the NERC-CCU, metering, billing, and service interruption were the most common complaints issues accounting for 77.55% of the total.

“There was a total of 10,144 active appeals (6,387 new appeals and 3,757 pending appeals from 2022) across all Forum Offices
in 2023. The Forum Offices held 359 sittings in 2023 and resolved 60.93% of the total active appeals. Billing, metering and disconnection were the most prevalent complaints within the year, accounting for 61.41%, 23.90% and 5.28% of the total
respectively.

Further to consumer affairs and complaints resolution strategy, NERC conducted five town hall/customer complaints resolution meetings in 2023 in Jos, Plateau State; 18-20 April 2023; Yola, Adamawa State; 09-11 May 2023; Asaba, Delta State; 23-25 May 2023; Makurdi, Benue State; 07-09 November 2023 and Ikeja, Lagos State; 22-23 November 2023.