Anambra Electricity Regulatory Commission moves to boost power supply, break distribution monopoly

By Our Correspondent

The newly established Anambra State Electricity Regulatory Commission, ASERC, has set machinery in motion to ensure improved power supply and break the monopoly enjoyed by the distribution company in the sector.

At a ceremony in Awka, the chairman of ASERC, Professor Frank Okafor said the four regulatory instruments that would reshape electricity supply in the state are business rules, customer protection regulation, investment in the power sector and utility investment that would boost the infrastructure.

The signing ceremony, which was witnessed by major stakeholders in the power sector, stipulated areas the state -operated First Power Distribution Company and other would -be distributors should adhere to.

Governor Chukwuma Soludo had in April this year, signed into law the Power Regulatory bill passed by the House of Assembly, thus giving birth to the Anambra State Electricity Regulatory Commission, ASERC) .

According to Okafor, who signed the instruments, the objective is for consumers and other stakeholders to know their rights in the power sector.

He said that the signing also marked the beginning of a well structured collaboration between the commission and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources.

He said: “The objective is for people to know their rights in the power sector. The business rules stipulate the guidelines which must be obeyed by the stakeholders; the customer protection regulation, which is to protect the interest of customers and defines the rights of the customers and that of the service provider, including the application for licenses for participants to ensure orderliness in the power sector.

“The other one is investment in the power sector, which outlines the challenges would -be investors are likely to encounter and the procedure to follow; while the last is utility investment which shows the long time benefits for the investor.

“The commission will ensure standardization and quality in the sector, while the regulation will provide operational framework needed so as to win the confidence of investors.

“The regulation will also protect consumers by ensuring that they are not abused. This is indeed a roadmap to where the state is aiming to be in the near future.”

Okafor explained that before preparing the draft, members of the commission visited the major cities of Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi and Ekwulobia and got the views of the people on the new regulations.

He made it clear that with the signing of the documents, there would not be any monopoly in the sector as other investors are encouraged to join and compete.

According to him, any group in the sector that thinks it would be enjoying monopoly will be making a grave mistake, adding that the idea is to enable people have alternatives and then decide which one to buy energy from.

Commenting the commission for releasing the instruments, the Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation,Dr Law Mefor said Governor Soludo has made deliberate efforts to increase energy supply in the state, bearing in mind the legacy projects his administration has planned to execute in the state.

The projects, he stated, include the building of an airport city, which is not just having a second airport in the state, but the presence of an organized ecosystem around the new airport city that will be power driven.

Mefor said there is also the proposed Anambra State industrial park and the Awka City Park that will compete with the best in the world.

Mefor added: “If there should be a more meaningful life, it is about electricity. If we must transform our state to a smart city as envisioned by Governor Soludo, there must be adequate supply of electricity.

“Electricity is therefore the foundation of the new Anambra that Soludo is building. It is the availability of adequate electricity that will make Anambra a destination point”.

The Commissioner for Power and Utilities, Mr. Casmir Agummadu described the signing of the instruments as a stepping stone to a sustainable power supply in the state.

“We look forward to working with the commission to ensure that we meet the aspirations of the people of Anambra people and lead the state to industrial growth”, he said.