TCN suspends Port Harcourt DisCo, disconnects 2 facilities

Victor Awoleye

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) on Monday published a suspension and disconnection order on Port-Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC), cutting two critical distribution networks from electricity transmission for onward supply to the DisCo’s customers. In the Order No: TCN/ISO/MO/2019/007, TCN said its Market Operator (MO) arm notified PHEDC of the violation of the Market Rules on July 9, 2019. “PHEDEC has been suspended from the Market operator Administered Market due to the event of default that was not remedied,” it noted.

TCN said the DisCo was informed on July 9, 2019 for compliance so it could increase is financial Security Cover, for payment for electricity wheeling services, but that was not done.

The DisCo wrote on July 15th requesting for a public hearing on the matter which the Market operator Enforcement Panel (MOEP) granted on July 25th. A team of MO Compliance Officers and PHEDC argued on why it should not be suspended at the hearing. The panel concluded by suspending the DisCo in a publication signed by the MO, Engr. Edmund Eje on Sunday. It also directed the Transmission Service Provider (TSP) of TCN to disconnect two of the DisCo’s 33 kilovolt (kV) feeders in Port Harcourt town. The 33kV feeders taking bulk electricity from the Port Harcourt town transmission substation to the Secretariat and Borokiri axis of the Rivers state capital were slated for disconnection “until the event of default stated in NIISO/2019/004 is remedied.

The MO had suspended Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) and disconnected a section of its network on July 21st. In late June 2019, the TCN-MO also suspended Enugu, Eko and Ikeja DisCos for similar non-compliance to the posting or topping of their bank guarantees for bulk electricity purchase services payment to the MO. TCN however lifted the suspension these three initial DisCos after they fully complied with the conditions and remedied their guarantees.