By Emem Idio, Yenagoa

The Bayelsa State Electricity Regulatory Agency (BYERA) has issued a 20-year electricity distribution licence to the Bayelsa Electricity Distribution Company Limited (BYEDC), marking a major step in the state’s effort to establish a locally regulated electricity market.

The licence, numbered BYERA/EDL/001, was formally presented on in Yenagoa by the Director-General of BYERA, Dr Rosalyn Dressman, to the Managing Director of Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Plc (PHED), Engr Ete Pinnick, who received it on behalf of the group of companies.

The licence authorises BYEDC to distribute electricity within its approved service area in Bayelsa State, subject to regulatory oversight, performance standards, consumer protection requirements and other conditions stipulated by BYERA.

Dressman said the issuance of the licence marked the practical commencement of the state’s electricity market reforms and would provide a framework for improving service delivery and attracting investment into the sector.

She said the development would bring electricity distribution closer to the state’s regulatory authorities and create clearer obligations for operators.

According to her, BYERA would use its regulatory powers to monitor service delivery, enforce standards, protect consumers and ensure compliance with the terms of the licence.

The agency said the new regulatory framework would also strengthen oversight of metering, billing, customer complaints and other aspects of electricity distribution.

It said consumers would have a clearer channel for seeking redress where operators failed to meet prescribed service standards.
BYERA, however, stressed that the licensing of BYEDC did not make the company the sole potential participant in Bayelsa’s electricity market.

She said: “There is now a licensed distribution operator, a defined regulatory authority and a clearer set of obligations governing electricity distribution within Bayelsa State. The framework is no longer merely on paper.

“The issuance of Bayelsa State’s first Electricity Distribution Licence therefore represents more than a regulatory milestone. It is another building block in the State’s efforts to create an electricity market capable of supporting its long-term development.”

The agency said other qualified investors and operators could enter the market in accordance with applicable laws, regulations and licensing requirements.

It said the policy was designed to encourage investment and competition while creating room for innovation and improved electricity services across the state.

The issuance of the licence followed months of regulatory and institutional work by BYERA to develop the rules, standards and licensing procedures for electricity distribution in the state.

With the issuance of the first distribution licence, BYERA said Bayelsa had entered a new phase in the regulation and development of its electricity market.