The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has approved an increase in electricity tariff with effect from September 1, 2020.
A document obtained by PUNCH on Tuesday showed that electricity customers, except those receiving less than 12 hours of supply, would have to pay more for electricity.
The move comes three months after the National Assembly stopped tariff hike implementation slated for July 1.
The lawmakers had urged power distribution companies to move such plan to the first quarter of 2021 due to the economic challenges in Nigeria made worse by COVID-19 pandemic.
The new tariff system categorises customers into maximum demand and non-maximum demand, as against the previous categories of residential, commercial and industrial customers.
“Following consultations and directions on tariff policy, the commission hereby approves a deferment of the applicable tariffs for customers in service bands D and E (that is customers with a service commitment of less than an average of 12 hours supply per day over a period of one month) for the period September 1, 2020 to January 1, 2021,” NERC said.
For Ikeja Electric, a residential customer on single phase receiving a minimum of 12 hours of supply will now pay N42.73 per KWh, up from N21.30 per kWh.
A residential customer on single phase who receives a minimum of 12 hours of supply from Eko Electricity Distribution Company will now pay N43.01 per kWh, up from N24 per kWh.
For Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, a residential customer on single phase receiving between 12 to 16 hours of supply will now be charged N45.69 per KWh, up from N24.30 per kWh.