By Michael Dada
#Bayelsa offers a practical preview of the institutional and market changes Akwa Ibom should expect as it transitons to a state electricity market from February 2027.
Bayelsa is one of the four states served by Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution PLC (PHEDC), alongside #Rivers, #AkwaIbom and #CrossRiver.
Following the transfer of regulatory oversight to its state electricity regulator, Bayelsa has commenced its state electricity market.
So, what does this mean for Akwa Ibom?
A few things to expect:
✅ PHEDC is expected to have incorporated an electricity distribution company dedicated to serving Akwa Ibom State. NERC’s deadline was October 17th 2026.
✅ The new distribution company incorporated by PHEDC will be licensed and regulated by the Akwa Ibom State Electricity Regulatory Commission (AKSERC).
✅ For those expecting PHEDC to disappear entirely from Akwa Ibom’s electricity market, that is unlikely. Going by the report in Bayelsa, PHEDC’s Managing Director received the 20-year licence on behalf of the group of companies.
✅ This suggests that although the new entity will operate as an Akwa Ibom State dedicated distribution company, it is a subsidiary of PHEDC.
✅The state’s electricity law permits other electricity distribution companies to be licensed.
✅️ However, their operations within the state’s existing electricity grid remains an important question, since the existing distribution assets in the state currently belong to PHEDC.
Notably, Bayelsa is entering this new phase with the essential advantages of guaranteed gas supply arrangement for its state-owned, recently completed 60MW embedded power plant, and a dedicated distribution company operating under state regulatory oversight.
With these developments, Bayelsa is positioning itself for sustainable transition to a state electricity market.
#AkwaIbom is next!
While the AKSERC Chairman’s recent media briefing suggests that the state regulator is ready to roll, Akwa Ibom’s state-owned power plant, Ibom Power Company Ltd. has remained largely inoperative for most of the year due to gas supply constraints.
So, how prepared is #AkwaIbom for February 2027?
