The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has announced that it will reconnect Kano DisCo, Kaduna Electric, and APLE Electric to the national grid, following the DisCos’ disconnection for non-compliance with market rules. The DisCos will be reconnected by midnight on May 1st, 2023. TCN’s Market Operator, Edmund Eje, stated that the reconnection was necessary due to the potential consequences of power outages on customers. However, he added that the defaulting participants would have 60 days to honour their obligations to the market operator.
The grace period, Eje noted, was extended from this publication date following the intervention of the Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu. Eje emphasised that all market defaulters must comply with market rules and make payments of their outstanding invoices, post adequate bank guarantees and forward their active Power Purchase Agreements to the market operator/TCN. Other defaulters who are yet to be disconnected have been given 60 days to comply as well.
Eje warned that if market participants fail to comply within the grace period, the TCN would resume sanctions in line with the market rules. He further urged the defaulting DisCos to use this opportunity to fix their defaults and applauded the intervention of the Minister of Power.
The decision to reconnect the DisCos comes as a relief to customers within their franchise areas, who have been without power for days. The TCN’s move to provide a grace period to defaulters will also offer an opportunity for market participants to make amends and comply with market rules