Why we can’t locate thousands of meters – DisCos

By Faruk Shuaibu

Electricity Distribution companies (DisCos) have stated that they can’t locate thousands of meters due to relocation by customers.

The disclosure was made during the 4th Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) Stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja and organised by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

But NERC’s Commissioner, Legal, Licensing and Compliance, Dafe Akpeneye, dismissed the excuse, drawing a parallel to the banking sector.

He argued that just as a “Post No Debit” order forces a bank customer to visit a branch, DisCos must use their vending platforms to enforce compliance.

“If you don’t know where the meter is, the customer shouldn’t be able to vend. Issue a public notice that you cannot identify these meters. Block them from vending and take them off your system until the people concerned come forward,” he said.

On his part, NERC’s Commissioner for Corporate Services, Nathan Shatti, lamented the slow pace electricity distribution companies are using to pay back customers who purchased meters under the Meters Asset Provider (MAP).

Daily Trust reports that the MAP is an avenue where customers pay for electricity meters but will be refunded by DisCos in the long run in the form of electricity credits.

He said there is poor performance of specific utilities, noting that Abuja and Kano DisCos have achieved only 2% compliance on refunds.

He warned the DisCos to stop behaving as if they are doing customers a favor.

On the backlog of paid-for but uninstalled meters, he rejected technical excuses, saying, “If your network is not ready for metering, do not collect people’s money.”

He further observed that for every transformer or meter not installed, DisCos incur losses, hence it is in their interest to meter customers and fix transformer-related issues.

He also revealed that over 350,000 meters are yet to be migrated to the new STS standard, demanding immediate cleanup of obsolete data.

NERC’s Vice Chairman, Dr. Musiliu Oseni, issued a stern warning to DisCos regarding their cooperation with new state regulators, emphasizing that no licensee is bigger than their regulator.

Oseni also revealed that there are currently 600,000 to 700,000 meters available in the country and challenged utilities to improve publicity and rollout speed, noting that the government has made the investment and the DisCos need to step up.

Addressing recent media misinformation regarding the tenure of NERC Commissioners, Dr. Oseni clarified the “Staggering Principle” embedded in Section 36 of the Electricity Act which was exported from the Electricity Power Sector Reform Act (EPSRA) and applied to only the pioneer Commission, saying subsequent Chairmen and Commissioners have 5-year tenures as provided in Section 36 (1) of the EA.

Nigerians can now invest ₦2.5 million on premium domains and profit about ₦17-₦25 million. All earnings paid in US Dollars. Rather than wonder, click here to find out how it works.

Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.