BYERA approves upgrade of power for consumers in Imiringi, Government House
CHIGOZIE AMADI
The Bayelsa State Electricity Regulatory Agency (BYERA) has approved a structured service improvement programme for customers on the Imiringi and Government House feeders within the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) network, aimed at enhancing electricity supply and service reliability.
The approval, granted on July 13, 2026, under reference BYERA/REG/PHED/SB/07/2026, authorises PHED to undertake comprehensive network rehabilitation, feeder reinforcement metering rollout, loss reduction and other operational upgrades designed to improve power quality and reliability on the affected feeders.
However, the agency made it clear that the approval does not permit the immediate migration of customers on the two feeders to B and A, nor does it authorise PHED to begin charging Band A tariffs.
In a public notice signed by the director general of BYERA, Dr Rosalyn Dressman, the agency stated that existing service-band classifications and tariff rates would remain in force until specific regulatory conditions are fully satisfied.
According to the notice, PHED must first demonstrate sustained and verifiable compliance with Band A service standards before any tariff migration can be considered. BYERA will independently verify daily electricity supply hours, outage records, network capacity metering status and feeder reliability.
The agency also stipulated that PHED must establish an effective customer notification system, complaint resolution mechanism and regulatory reporting framework. In addition, any migration to Band A will require a separate written approval from BYERA.
As part of the implementation process, PHED is expected to submit a detailed work schedule metering rollout plan, customer engagement strategy and periodic performance reports while BYERA will conduct technical inspections and engage directly with consumers to monitor compliance.
The agency advised customers on the Imiringi and government house feeders to continue paying only the tariff applicable to their current service band, retain copies of electricity bills payment receipts and meter records, monitor daily electricity supply where possible and promptly report any unauthorised tariff increase, excessive billing or prolonged outage to BYERA through its official consumer complaints channel.
Dr. Dressman reaffirmed BYERA’s commitment to protecting electricity consumers from unjustified tariff increases, stressing that any future migration to Band A would be based solely on transparent, measurable and independently verified improvements in service delivery.
She added that the Service Improvement Programme is expected to reduce estimated billing, strengthen energy accountability and provide an objective basis for future service band classification once the required performance benchmarks have been achieved.
