Wednesday, November 6

‘DISCOs yet to give meters 2.9million electricity users’

A new report by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has revealed that about 2.9million households are yet to be metered by the 11 electricity

Distribution companies (Discos) since they took over operations of the network in 2013.

NERC presented the report yesterday in Abuja when it met with the Discos to evaluate their performance on the Credited Advance Payment for Metering Initiative (CAPMI).

Statistics showed that of the 403,255 meters procured since 2013, customers financed the installation of 251,531 meters which is about 100,000 higher than what the Discos have procured as at March 2016.

National Mirror reports that as at takeover in November 2013, the Discos had a pact with the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and NERC on bridging the three million metering gap but have failed to reach even 200,000 after two years.

Data submitted by the 11 Discos to NERC indicates that there are 6.159million customers’ accounts as at December 2015 with 3.206miilon metered. The other 2.953million customers have remained unmetered thereby raising the concerns on the estimated billing system.

While Northern Discos including Abuja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano and Yola claimed to have 1.973million customer base; Port Harcourt, Benin and Enugu Discos have 1,863,708 customers. In the west, Eko, Ikeja and Ibadan Discos have 2,322,376 customer accounts.

The acting Chairman of NERC, Dr. Anthony Akah said there are plans to wind up the CAPMI and urged the Discos key into it as it was neglected in the past.

“It is criminal for Disco who have not metered consumers under CAPMI since November 2013. Do it now before we conclude our investigations,” Akah warned the operators.

Other concerns, the NERC boss raised include wrong migration of customers to higher classes of tariff, and complaints of over 200% rise in the estimated bills of some customers to the Commission.

Responding, Jos Disco contested its metering status saying it has done more than the figure reported. Benin Disco said it uses cluster billing to charge people in a place for the energy delivered to the area whether household entities consume that or not.

NERC also chided Ikeja and Kano Discos’s report indicating that none of its 1.057million customers was willing to pay for meters. However, Kano Disco said despite its awareness efforts, the customers are not willing to embrace CAPMI.

It is recalled that Abuja and Jos Discos have assured of rolling out meters from May. While Jos Disco said it is doing 180,000 meters, Abuja is planning 100,000 meters.

 

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