DisCos skirt over unstable power supply with 1.14% rise in revenue
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Power distribution companies (DisCos), despite unstable supply, generated N247.1 billion revenue in the first quarter of 2023 (Q1 2023), a 1.14 per cent rise quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) above N243.65 billion in Q4 2022, according to the latest report of the Nigerian Electricity Commission (NERC).
The total revenue collected by all DisCos represented a collection efficiency of 68.75 per cent, down 4.58 percentage points on 73.33 per cent in Q4 2022, the report said.
The decline in collection efficiency was largely driven by the DisCos in Ibadan (down 15.50 points), Yola (10.20 points), Kaduna (8.49 points), and Abuja (5.29 points).
Only Jos DisCo had an improved collection efficiency of 4.48 pp.
In Q1 2023, the report added, the average hourly generation on the grid was 4,334.41 mwh/h, an increase of 92.05 mwh/h (2.16 per cent) on 4,242.36 mwh/h in Q4 2022.
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Increase in average hourly generation
“The overall increase in average hourly generation within the quarter was due to an increase in the available capacity of Egbin, Afam VI, Geregu, and Sapele power plants.
“The biggest improvement noticed in Egbin’s hourly output is virtually proportional to the improvement in its availability,” the NERC explained, per Vanguard.
“This is to be expected because Egbin plays a critical role in meeting demand in the Lagos region, which regularly accounts for 25 to 30 per cent of national consumption.
“The twenty-six (26) generation stations that injected energy into the national grid in the quarter under review included eighteen (18) gas, four (4) hydro, two (2) steam, and two (2) gas/steam-powered plants.
“In Q1’23, the average hourly generation of all available units increased by 92.05 MWh/h (2.17%) from 4,242.36 MWh/h in 2022/Q4 to 4,334.41 MWh/h.”
The NERC has granted embedded generation licence to the Ekiti Independent Power Project (IPP) Limited based in Ado Ekiti.
Ekiti Governor’s Adviser on Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Mobolaji Aluko, a Professor, disclosed this on television in Ado-Ekiti.
“We are now at the last leg of the development and commissioning of the independent power plant in the state, having received the licence,” he said.
And the NERC granted an independent electricity distribution licence to Olokiti Power Distribution Limited also based in Ado-Ekiti.