Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), says the suspension of three electricity distribution companies, APLE Electric Limited, Kano and Kaduna Electricity Distribution Companies, was by the Market Operator (MO).

The action according to a statement by TCN‘s General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, was following breach of market rules, which govern and sanitise the Nigerian electricity supply industry.

According to her, the Market Operator is mindful of the need to ensure the continued sustenance of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI), which requires strict adherence to market rules and the application of sanctions where necessary.

She said due diligence was observed by the MO before issuing the suspension/disconnection order, which is in accordance with procedures of the rules guiding the market.

“This is to ensure the preservation of the market and that non-compliant participants are held accountable for their actions.

“The APLE Electric Limited was found to be in non-compliance with the Market Rules for not having adequate Bank Guaranty and for incomplete payments of APL’s MO’s invoices from September 2022 to February 2023.

“As per the market rules, the MO first sent a request for a bank guarantee to APLE on the Nov. 29, 2022?, she said.

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Meanwhile, the leadership of the Aba Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ACCIMA) has called on the management of the Aba Power Limited (APL), a subsidiary of Geometric, Osisioma, Abia State to ensure that they restore power in the nine local government areas of state that have been without power supply in the last 10 days without any further delay.

The affected local government areas include Aba North, Aba South, Ukwa East, Ukwa West, Osisioma, Ugwunagbo, Obingwa, Isiala Ngwa North and Isiala Ngwa South respectively.

The President of ACCIMA, Chief Jerry Kalu who made this call at an interactive session between members of the chambers and some management members of the APL on Saturday at the Chamber’s Secretariat in Aba, lamented the negative impact that absence of power was having on their businesses.

According to the ACCIMA President, the absence of public power supply in the three major towns in Aba and other six local government areas of the state said that this was the first time over the past twenty years that Aba would not have power supply for the past 10 days.

He added that most companies operating in Aba and its environs are currently overshooting their overhead and feared that if the power outage was not urgently addressed, a lot of companies may be forced to lay off their staff and shutdown temporarily as they now find it hard to run their factories daily with the cost diesel pump price.

“I want to say that, it has never been this bad in our history even in the days of Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (ECN), National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and Enugu Electricity Distribution Company. (The Nation)

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