PAYING FOR DARKNESS: ENUGU ELECTRICITY REGULATORY COMMISSION DOWNGRADES 59 MAINPOWER FEEDERS OVER PERSISTENT FAILURE TO MEET MINIMUM POWER SUPPLY HOURS ACROSS ENUGU STATE

For months, electricity consumers across Enugu State have been living a contradiction that many describe as one of the most frustrating aspects of daily life in the state: paying premium Band A electricity tariffs while receiving power supply that falls far below the minimum hours guaranteed under those tariffs. That contradiction has now drawn a formal regulatory response.

On Wednesday, May 13, 2026, the Enugu Electricity Regulatory Commission (EERC) issued a public notice announcing the immediate downgrade of 59 feeders under the franchise of MainPower Electricity Distribution Company Limited, a subsidiary of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), which is responsible for electricity distribution across Enugu State.

The decision, described by EERC as a regulatory sanction, came after persistent complaints from consumers and a formal technical and safety audit of major injection substations operated by MainPower confirmed what residents had been saying for months. MainPower’s obligation to its customers is defined by the Service-Based Tariff (SBT) framework introduced by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) on November 1, 2020. Under this framework, electricity consumers across Nigeria were categorised into five service bands based on the number of hours of power supply they are entitled to receive daily.

Band A customers, who pay the highest tariffs, are entitled to a minimum of 20 hours of electricity supply every day. Band B customers are entitled to 16 hours. Band C customers receive a guaranteed minimum of 12 hours. Band D customers are entitled to 8 hours, and Band E customers, who pay the lowest tariffs, are guaranteed at least 4 hours of supply daily. The SBT framework was introduced specifically to ensure that consumers pay for electricity proportionate to the quality and quantity of service they actually receive, not for a level of service that exists only on paper. The EERC’s investigation found that MainPower had been charging customers on multiple feeders at higher band rates while consistently failing to deliver the minimum supply hours that justified those rates.

The Commission conducted a technical and safety audit of major injection substations operated by MainPower and cross-referenced its findings with data from its online monitoring platform, the Electronic Design and Manufacturing International (EDMI) Multidrive Manager, which tracks feeder performance in real time. The combined f indings confirmed unambiguously that MainPower had failed to deliver the expected hours of supply as required under the SBT regime across 59 feeders serving communities throughout Enugu State.

The list of downgraded feeders covers some of the most populated and economically significant areas in the state. The 9th Mile Industrial 11KV feeder was downgraded from Band A to Band C. The Abakaliki Road 11KV feeder was similarly moved from Band A to Band C. Abakpa 1 and Abakpa 2 feeders, both 11KV, were downgraded from Band A to Band C, while Abakpa 3 was moved from Band B to Band C. The Amorji 11KV feeder was downgraded from Band B to Band D. The Nsukka Township feeder moved from Band B to Band D.

The presidential feeder dropped from Band A to Band C. The University of Nigeria Enugu Campus (UNEC) feeder fell from Band A to Band D, as did the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) feeder, which previously held Band A status. In a development that many Enugu residents described as symbolically significant, the Government House feeder was downgraded from Band A all the way to Band E, the lowest possible classification, meaning the state seat of power now shares the same minimum service band as the most poorly served communities in the country. Other affected areas include Emene, Topland, Ugwuoye, Chime Avenue, Achi, Amechi, Ibagwa, Ugwuogo, Ugwuaji, Okwe, NOWAS, Coca Cola, Coal Camp, and Dhamija.

The EERC stated in its public notice that the downgrade would remain in place until MainPower demonstrates a sustained improvement in power supply on the affected feeders. The Commission added that upon a formal request by MainPower, it may approve the restoration of a feeder’s previous band classification once it is verified that the feeder has met the threshold of minimum hours of availability in the preceding month in line with the SBT framework. In practical terms this means MainPower must prove, month by month, that it is delivering the hours it promised before any feeder can be restored to its previous classification.

Residents in affected areas are now demanding that the downgrade be immediately reflected in their electricity bills, insisting that they should not continue to pay Band A rates for what is now officially classified as Band C, D, or E service. For electricity consumers in Enugu State who have spent years complaining about poor supply while receiving rising bills, the EERC’s intervention represents a long overdue acknowledgment that their grievances were legitimate and supported by data.

The downgrade does not restore power to homes and businesses that have gone without electricity for hours or days at a stretch, but it establishes a formal regulatory record that MainPower failed its customers and creates a framework for accountability going forward. Whether that accountability translates into genuine improvement in electricity supply across Enugu State remains the question that 59 downgraded feeders and millions of consumers are waiting to see answered.

Obinwannem Igbo News | May 20, 2026

Written by Nwada Chidimma Ejikeme (Obinwannem News correspondent, Enugwu State)
Date: June 3, 2026
Ubochi: Orie Mmiri
Published by Mazi Ugwu Alexander Okechukwu (Director, Obinwannem Media)