The Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission has identified 38 companies operating across Lagos State that have failed to apply for licences and necessary regularisation despite repeated directives,
The firms, including MTN, Flour Mills, Golden Penny, First Global Commerce Solutions Limited, African Steel Mills Nigeria Limited, Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise Limited and others, have a combined generation capacity of almost 600 megawatts.
LASERC said the firms, which hold various categories of permits issued under the predecessor federal regulatory framework, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, have not commenced the mandatory application process required under the state’s electricity regulatory framework.
The affected licensees cut across multiple permit categories, including captive Power generation, embedded generation, independent electricity distribution network, isolated mini-grid, interconnected mini-grid, and off-grid generation licences, covering industrial, commercial, and distribution operations spread across several local government areas in the state.
“This is to officially notify all concerned stakeholders and the general public that the underlisted 38 licensees are yet to apply to the Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission for the necessary licensing and regularisation in line with the regulatory requirements guiding electricity operations within Lagos State.
“Despite ongoing engagements, notifications, and directives issued by the Commission, the affected entities are yet to commence or complete the required application process for licensing with LASERC as mandated under the applicable laws and regulatory framework,” the commission said in a public notice sighted by our correspondent on Sunday.
Among the largest operators on the list is First Global Commerce Solutions Limited, which holds a captive power generation permit for a 77-megawatt plant at Railway Compound, Ebute-Meta – one of the highest-capacity facilities with licences yet to be regularised.
Flour Mills Nigeria Plc follows with a 74.5MW captive power facility at Golden Penny Place, Wharf Road, Apapa, while Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise Limited, located at the Lagos Free Trade Zone, Itoke Village, Ibeju-Lekki, is listed for a 30MW facility.
Irele Energy LFZ Enterprise, also operating within the Lagos Free Trade Zone in Ibeju-Lekki, holds an embedded generation licence for a 50MW plant and features on the list alongside Geogrid Lightech Limited, which holds a licence for a 30MW facility at Cadbury Nigeria Limited, Lateef Jakande Road, Agidingbi, Lagos.
MTN Nigeria Communication Plc appears three times, reflecting the telecoms giant’s multiple captive power installations across the state. The company is listed for a 3.46MW plant at Apapa Switch, a 4.5MW installation at Ojota Switch Energy Centre 4, and a 5.4MW facility at Ojota Switch Energy Centre 5, all yet to be regularised with LASERC.
Similarly, Golden Penny Power Limited features three times on the list, covering a 32.4MW plant at Plots 43, 45 and 46, Iganmu Industrial Estate, Surulere; a 26MW facility at NPA Premises, Tincan Island, Apapa; and a 57.2MW installation at 1 Golden Penny Place, Wharf Road, Apapa — bringing its total unlisted capacity alone to over 115MW.
Other firms named include African Steel Mills Nigeria Limited, with a 20MW facility at Plot 337, Ikorodu Industrial Estate, Odogunyan, Ikorodu; CHI Limited (14.60MW) at CHI Avenue, Ajao Estate; CCK Electric Power Technology Company Limited (8.8MW) at Alfred Garden Estate, Off Kudirat Abiola Way, Opebi, Ikeja; and Uraga Power Solutions Limited (30MW) at Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, NPA Premises, Apapa.
Tarkwa Bay Green Power Freezone Enterprise and Alaro Power Free Zone Enterprise each hold embedded generation licences of 24MW and 10MW respectively, while Contour Global Solutions Nigeria Limited and Daybreak Power Solutions Limited hold off-grid generation licences.
Daybreak Power Solutions Limited appears twice for a 2MW plant in Ikeja and a 3.5MW facility in Badagry.
Among the IEDN licence holders yet to regularise are ABV Utility Limited, covering the Western Foreshore Estate, Suncity Estate, and Maben Terraces Maisonettes Estate in Lekki; Alaro Connect Free Zone Enterprise, serving Alaro City, Northwest Quadrant, and the Lekki-Epe Expressway; and Igboya Power LFZ Enterprise at the Lagos Free Trade Zone, Itoke Village, Ibeju-Lekki.
Others include IPL Distribution Company Limited, covering several Lagos government establishments, including the General Hospital, Island Maternity Hospital, High Court, Magistrate Court, State House, and street lights; Ladol Integrated Logistics FZE Enterprise at Ladol Free Zone, Apapa Port; and Zeta Technical Services Limited, serving PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc, Friesland Campina, and WAMCO Nigeria Plc in Ikorodu.
In the mini-grid category, A4&T Power Solutions Limited holds an interconnected mini-grid permit covering Odo-Ayan, Mojoda, and Ibowon communities in Epe, with a capacity of 880kW, while Solad Integrated Power Solutions Limited holds an isolated mini-grid permit for Balogun Modern Market, Lagos, at 300kW.
LASERC warned that continued non-compliance could attract “sanctions or enforcement actions as provided by law”. The commission said it remains committed to “a transparent, efficient, and properly regulated electricity market” in the state, urging all the 38 firms to comply “without further delay to avoid regulatory penalties and ensure continued operations within the provisions of the law”.
LASERC was established following the devolution of electricity regulatory powers to states under Nigeria’s 2023 Electricity Act, which granted subnational governments authority to regulate electricity generation, distribution, and retail within their jurisdictions.
Lagos State has since moved to assert regulatory control over power operators within its territory, with the commission issuing several compliance directives since its establishment.
The failure of 38 licensees to seek regularisation suggests that a significant segment of the market has yet to align with the new state-level regulatory order, though they were initially licensed by NERC.