NERC Orders 20% Refund for Band A Over Poor Power
Last update: June 4, 2026
Disclaimer: This website may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you click on the link and make a purchase. We only recommend products or services that we personally use and believe will add value to our readers. Your support is appreciated!
Paying Band A tariff but getting Band E supply earlier this year? NERC says your DisCo now owes you a refund.
Good news if you're on Band A. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has approved a special compensation package for customers who didn't get the hours they paid for between February and March 2026.
In a public notice shared on Thursday, NERC said it issued Directive No. NERC/2026/002 after generation shortfalls across the grid made it impossible for DisCos to meet their promised service levels in Q1.
The commission said it recognised the problem was largely out of the DisCos' hands, inadequate gas supply and vandalism of critical gas and transmission infrastructure. The numbers are stark: thermal plants need about 1,629.75 million standard cubic feet of gas per day to run at optimal capacity, but as of 23 February, supply was down to about 692 mmscf per day, less than 43 per cent. Plants shut down, TCN started load shedding, and your light suffered.
So, what are you getting back?
1. If your Band A feeder averaged 18 to 20 hours daily in that period, the old compensation rules under Addendum No. NERC/2024/003 still apply for both Maximum Demand and Non-Maximum Demand customers.
2. If your feeder dropped below 18 hours daily, this new special compensation kicks in:
Non-MD customers: 20 per cent of the approved February 2026 energy cap for your feeder
MD customers: 20 per cent of the average energy billed per MD customer in February 2026
Your feeder won't be downgraded for those two months, by the way.
How you will be paid: prepaid customers get token credits, postpaid customers get it as a bill adjustment. And NERC was clear: DisCos are prohibited from using your compensation to offset any existing debt. They must also tell you clearly what you got and for which period.
Deadlines are tight: February compensation must be paid by 31 May 2026, March compensation by 30 June 2026. NERC says it will monitor compliance and verify that everyone eligible is paid.
For context, The PUNCH reports DisCos still collected about N600bn from customers in Q1 2026, despite the outages. No wonder Nigerians have been shouting on the apps.
Some people have said supply has improved in the past few weeks, but if you were short-changed in Feb and March, check your meter or your next bill.
Credit: cbinewstv
#NERC #BandA #NigeriaPower #ElectricityCompensation #PowerSupplyNigeria #EnergyNews #Nepalight #cbinewstv
