Overbilling: Enugu Electricity Regulatory Commission Orders MainPower to Refund over 20,000 Customers

In exercise of its regulatory powers, the Enugu State Electricity Regulatory Commission, EERC, has ordered MainPower Electricity Distribution Company, formerly Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC, to refund over 20,000 estimated customers over “wrongful billing” by the company.

This was contained in a public notice issued by EERC on Monday where the Commission said that its order was consequent upon many complaints by MainPower’s customers against the firm’s overbilling.

“Pursuant to Section 35 of the Enugu State Electricity Law 2023 and other extant rules, this is to inform customers in Enugu State that the Commission has issued an Order to MainPower to refund the affected customers the overbilled units for energy consumed in April 2025,” EERC notice reads.

It said the list of the affected customers have been published on the Commission’s website, www.eerc.en.gov.ng/order, and advised affected customers of MainPower, who are not refunded at the expiration of the timeframe for the refund to contact the Commission via email at [email protected] or call 09122642755 for the Commission’s necessary action.

Meanwhile, the order signed by the Chairman of EERC, Chijioke Okonkwo, and the Commissioner in charge of Market Operations, Barr. Reuben Okoye, gave MainPower till July 2025 billing cycle at most to refund the customers, failing which it would pay a fine of N500,000 for each day that it fails to comply with the order in line with the extant law of the Enugu State Electricity Law, 2023.

According to the Commission, it started tracking the estimate billing practices of MainPower from October 2024 when it assumed full regulatory control in Enugu State from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, and raised the issues with the firm in a letter dated 16th December, which it said MainPower failed to adequately address in their response dated 14th January 2025.

EERC added that in another letter dated 4th April 2025, it further called MainPower’s attention to its continuous estimated billing violations from October 2024 to February 2025 and demanded a significant improvement in the next two billing cycles failing which it would be constrained to commence enforcement action.

“The Commission, in its letter to MainPower dated 6th May 2025 called MainPower’s attention to the suspiciously striking similarity between MainPower’s estimated billing reports in February and March 2025; and gave MainPower 14 days from the date of receipt of the letter to provide an explanation, if any.

“The 14 days given to MainPower to respond to the Commission’s letter dated 6th May 2025, expired on 23rd May 2025 without any response from MainPower.

“The Commission recently reviewed MainPower’s April 2025 estimated report, and observed that the degree of violation of the caps on estimated billing by MainPower had further deteriorated from the 24 percent observed in February and March 2025, to 34 percent in April, 2025,” EERC stated.

The Commission, therefore, said it had “established that MainPower is in deliberate breach of the Commission’s stipulations in the terms and conditions of MainPower’s Interim Licence with respect to the capping of estimated billing.”

Consequently, it ordered that MainPower refunds the equivalent amount of the April 2025 over-bill to the affected customers.

“MainPower shall refund the over-bill to the affected customers within the June 2025 billing cycle, but not later than the July 2025 billing cycle.

“Where MainPower fails or neglects to comply with this Order, the Commission shall invoke its powers under section 32 (5) of the Enugu State Electricity Law 2023, which authorises the Commission to impose a fine not exceeding Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500,000.00) for each day that MainPower may be in default of compliance with this Order,” the order concluded.