Nigeria’s power sector regulator, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has flawed the position of the electricity distribution companies (Discos) on meter supply to consumers, saying the responsibility is that of the companies based on the provisions of the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) Regulations 2018.
The commission, in a statement maintained that the DisCos’ role in meter provision “is consistent with their respective licensing terms and conditions and Section 4 (1) of the said regulations which provides that distribution licensee is responsible for the achievement of metering targets as specified by the commission from time to time.
Apparently reacting to a statement by the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED) that Discos were no longer responsible for the provision of meters to electricity consumers, the industry regulator pointed out that Section 4 (3) of the MAP Regulation required that all distribution licensees should engage the services of meter asset providers towards meeting the metering targets.
The NERC noted further that the Discos were expected to engage MAPs within 120 days of coming into effect of the regulations.
It clarified: “The deadline was fixed for July 31, 2018 but was extended to November 30, 2018 to engender more competition between potential MAPs, thus providing better value for consumers.
“Several of the Discos experienced slippage in the timeline stipulated by the commission and this infraction is being handled in line with the enforcement regulations of the commission”, the commission added.
The commission hinted further that it was currently reviewing the MAP procurement reports and successful meter asset providers shall be announced after a meeting with the Discos and preferred bidders scheduled to hold next week.
It reaffirmed its commitment to expedite a closure of the current metering gap and by so doing, limiting the practice of estimated billing to very exceptional cases in line with the provisions of the MAP regulations.
The ANED’s Executive Director, Mr. Sunday Oduntan, was reported to have maintained on Monday that metering was no longer the responsibility of Discos, claiming that the responsibility now lies with the meter asset providers licensed by the NERC.
He said: “Metering has been taken off the Discos’ primary responsibility and that is why the Federal Government through NERC came up with MAPs. In summary, the meter asset providers are essentially now in charge of metering, not the Discos.
“We are participants; we have a role to play and we are playing this role by cooperating with them. But we are not the ones to provide meters to Nigerians, going forward. People need to understand that and we support anything that will make it possible for Nigerians to have meters”, Oduntan added.
