…Bars Immediate Band A Tariff
By Julius Agadaga, Yenagoa
The Bayelsa State Electricity Regulatory Agency, BYERA, has approved a structured Service Improvement Programme for customers on the Imiringi and Government House feeders under the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, PHED, network.
In a public notice issued on July 13, 2026 with reference `BYERA/REG/PHED/SB/07/2026` and signed by the Director General, Dr. RosaLyn Dressman, the Agency authorized PHED to carry out network rehabilitation, feeder reinforcement, metering rollout, loss reduction and other operational upgrades aimed at improving power supply quality and reliability on the two feeders.
BYERA, however, clarified that the approval does not permit PHED to migrate customers on the affected feeders to Band A, nor to commence Band A tariff billing at this time.
According to the Agency, existing service-band classifications and tariffs will remain in place until four specific conditions are satisfied.
The conditions for any future migration to Band A include: PHED demonstrating sustained and verifiable compliance with Band A service standards; BYERA independently verifying daily supply hours, outage records, network capacity, metering status and feeder reliability; PHED establishing adequate customer notification, complaint handling and regulatory reporting systems; and BYERA issuing a separate written approval authorizing tariff migration.
Dr. Dressman said PHED is required to submit an implementation schedule, metering plan, customer engagement plan and periodic performance reports. The Agency will also conduct technical inspections and engage consumers directly during the upgrade period.
BYERA advised customers on the Imiringi and Government House feeders to continue paying only the tariff applicable to their current service band, keep copies of bills, receipts and meter information, and record daily supply hours where possible.
The Agency further urged consumers to report any unapproved tariff change, excessive billing, or prolonged outage to BYERA via `consumer@byera.energy`.
Reaffirming the Agency’s consumer protection mandate, Dr. Dressman said any future Band A classification must be based on “transparent, measurable and independently verified service performance” to prevent premature tariff increases.
BYERA noted that the service improvement programme is expected to reduce estimated billing, strengthen energy accountability, and provide a measurable basis for the future classification of the two feeders.
