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As part of efforts at improving electricity supply to Nigerians, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has licensed 87 meter asset provider companies expected to make available series of services ranging from importing meters as vendors and corporate installers.
Their licences have different years and dates of expiration, between 2019 and 2021. While four of the meter manufacturers will have their licences expiring between February and November 2019, only Mojec Intentional will have its licence expiring August 10, 2020.
Other manufacturers given licences include MOMAS Electricity Meters Manufacturing Company, Skyrun International Electricity Meter FZE, Unistar HI-Tech Systems Nigeria Limited, and SIMBA Industries Limited.
Twenty-two importers were given licences that would also expire between February 2019 and March 2020, while 50 corporate installers were also given licences.
The regulation on meter assets providers, which will come into effect from April 3, 2018, provides standard rules for the emergence and participation of independent and competitive meter asset providers in the electricity industry.
By this, estimated billing practices are expected to be eliminated in the industry, attract private investment into a viable metering services business, close the metering gap through accelerated meter roll out, and enhance customer satisfaction and liquidity of the electricity market.
According to Babatunde Fashola, minister of power, works and housing who spoke recently on this development, he was happy to announce that NERC had concluded the regulations that would provide the framework to license a new class of meter asset providers to complement the efforts of DisCos to supply meters to citizens.
Fashola said government decision to pursue an out-of-court settlement on a meter contract awarded since 2003, which was held up in court until 2017, had made available about N39 billion to kick off this process.
Majority of electricity customers are unmetered and are therefore billed by electricity distribution companies based on an estimate of energy consumed rather than actual consumption. The estimated billing practices often referred to as “crazy billing” is regarded by most consumers as arbitrary, subjective, non-scientific and unfair, and consequently resulted in customer dissatisfaction, apathy, public outcry and increasing incidence of electricity theft.
The NERC stated that, the Commission, having appraised the current challenges in providing adequate meters in the electricity industry and its consequent impact on the financial viability of the market, had as part of its rule making process issued a Consultation Paper on initiatives towards ending estimated billing.
Yola DisCo is said to be already positioning to take up 400,000 meters once the contract and process formalities are concluded. It is expected that Abuja, Ibadan, Kano, Ikeja and Benin DisCos are also embracing the initiative, which has reserved a 30% local content for the meters to be supplied under the Regulations.
Industry analysts believe that with the entry of more metering companies into the industry, the issue of crazy bill would be eliminated.
