The Nation Newspaper

Tag: meters

  • ‘We’ll prosecute customers who tamper with meters’

    The Ikeja Electric (formerly Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company) and Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) is working with the Nigeria Police and other security agencies to arrest and prosecute electricity consumers who tamper with their meters.

    The prosecution applies to analog and prepaid meter users, the firms said, adding that this became necessary following reports that many consumers were bypassing meters and connecting to the cables from the electricity poles. The bypass of meters distorts reading of the meters and makes such fraudulent customers pay less than their consumption.

    The two firms in interviews with The Nation said they were transiting from a fine of N50,000 imposed on perpetrators of such crimes to prosecution in a court to provide more punitive measures and further deter other consumers from engaging in the crime.

    The Head, Communications and Strategy, Ikeja Electric, Pekun Adeyanju, said the firm was working with the police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps ( NSCDC) to detect and arrest consumers who bypass meters to charge them to court.

    He said: “When we realised that customers have not been coming to our various business units for vending, we asked our marketing officials to visit their homes. It was at that point we discovered that they have tempered with the meters by passing them.

    “They bypass meters by not connecting the two wires from the pole to their meters. The wire they don’t connect to the meters is the one that takes care of heavy appliances such as pumping machine, pressing iron, air- conditioner and others.  At the end of the month, such a customer will pay less because the prepaid meter has been tampered with. Some people have been caught, paraded and reprimanded. Now, we want to start arresting and prosecuting them, and leave out the option of fine of N50,000 earlier imposed on them.’’

    Also, the spokesman, Eko DISCO, Godwin Idemudia, said the firm would take people who bypass meters to court. He said bypassing of meters by customers is a criminal offence which his organisation is not ready to take lightly.

    According to him, his company will use two methods or approaches to curb bypass of meters among customers in its jurisdiction.

    He said: “One of the methods has to do with the use of security operatives like police and the company’s officials, who would go out to see meters that have been tampered with and take their pictures. The second one is technological, by this; we are deploying smart meters that would give us signals in the office when they are being tampered with by criminals. Local electricians are aiding criminals who bypass meters and we are ready to deal with them.”

  • NERC mulls ultimatum for Discos on meters

    NERC mulls ultimatum for Discos on meters

    •Commission urges patronage of locally made meters

    The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission ( NERC) yesterday said it intends to give the Electricity Distribution Companies (Discos) a 16-month ultimatum to meter all customers.

    Its Chairman, Dr. Sam Amadi, who spoke to reporters in Abuja, said at the expiration of the period, the unmetered customers would not be charged any bills.

    He also insisted that Discos must install meters for customers that have paid their money in the Credit Advance Programme for Metering Implementation (CAPMI) within four months.

    Should they fail to install the meters within four months, the affected customers will be exempted from paying bills until the Discos install their meters.

    The proposal, said Amadi, is to aggressively drive the Discos to address the metering gap in the electricity market.

    He said the commission has chosen to issue an order setting up the cap with an effective implementation date after a moratorium of four months to allow the Discos to appropriately adjust their metering program.

    The chairman added that all estimates being imposed by Discos within the moratorium period shall be strictly based on the Commission Billing Estimation Methodology.

    As soon as the capping regulation commences, he said the extant regulation on estimation methodology will be vacated.

    He said: “The Discos have, we are proposing, up till the next four months before this cap starts. And when the cap starts, the Discos have additional 12 months, making it a total of 16months  within which to meter every customer.

    “If after that 12 months, the customer is not metered, that customers will be excluded from paying bills at all.

    “And customers who have paid their money on CAPMI 45 days delivery of meters that have not delivered, within these four months, the Discos should make sure they completely install meters to all those customers that have paid money for meters.

    “Within that four months, if any CAPMI customer has not been metered, such CAPMI customer after the four months will not be charged any bill until they are metered. “

    He said the commission received petition from some local meter manufacturers alleging that some Discos have violated local content obligation by installing imported meters when there are locally manufactured meters.

    NERC, according to him, has started investigation of the allegation. He urged the Discos to note that the commission will mete out severe sanctions to any operator who violates the regulations on metering and local content.

    Amadi said in the last two weeks, there has been agitation by local manufacturers of meter on low patronage by the Discos.

    The manufacturers, said Amadi, have claimed that foreign meter manufacturers are being patronised at their detriment. He however called on NERC to protect local industry.

    Amadi said: “ It is important to make it clear that the Nigerian electricity industry is designed to be efficient and competitive so that customers have access to adequate and reliable electricity at affordable prices. It is not designed to restrain free trade. Rather, it is designed to contribute maximally to the growth of the Nigerian economy.”

    He said the leadership of the commission is strongly committed to promoting local content because it wants the growth in the electricity sector to contribute to improvement in job creation and household income.

    The chairman explained that it was for this reason that the NERC in 2012 made the regulation on local content obligating every operator in the electricity market to continuously localise employment, services and technology.

    Amadi said in order to overcome meter cloning and other forms of frauds against electricity market, many Discos are resorting to smart meters.

    He promised that NERC’s regulation will provide a supporting framework for smart metering in the Nigerian electricity market.

    The chairman however warned “customers to stop engaging in criminal acts of stealing power. It is this sort of sabotage at the retail level that increases the commercial losses that increase the tariff that consumers pay.

    “So, it is in the interest of consumers to report their neighbours who engage in such criminal activities to the Discos and the security forces. By protecting electrical installations, we reduce the cost of electricity generation, transmission and distribution. We benefit in terms of improved power supply and low tariff.”

    The chairman NERC has authorised the Discos to take severest actions possible to prevent, detect and prosecute customers who by-pass or clone meters, tamper with electrical installation, or in any way defraud them of approved revenue.

    “We call on the police authorities to step up prevention and prosecution of criminal activities in the electricity market,”he said.

  • Chinese firm gets NERC’s nod to produce meters locally

    Chinese firm gets NERC’s nod to produce meters locally

    The National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has granted approval to a Chinese firm,   Golden Horse Co. Ltd, to begin the production of electricity meters in Nigeria.

    The National Coordinator, Chief Executive Officer. Nigeria, China Business Council, Matthew Iwekwe who spoke at a press briefing in Abuja, said domestic production of meters will promote economic growth and save foreign exchnage.

    He said: “The Calabar Free Trade Zone is presently used for the production of the meters. The company has already started full manufacturing of the products.

    “We are also using this medium to call on incoming state governors to key into this program, they should come up with a proposal and feasibility study on what business they want to partner with the Chinese government, as investors will be brought in.

    “Energy is the hub of any development in the world; we need stable energy to run any profitable business. We recently signed a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the African Development Bank (AfDB), with focus on energy, and shifting focus from oil.”

    The Chairman, Golden Horse Group, Jacob Wood said the company is building a permanent and lasting bridge between the two countries, so that there will be easy trading.

    Wood said the company is doing all it can to contribute its quota to the development of the country, saying: “We would also want to emphasise that we are fully in support of the government President Muhammadu Buhari.”

  • Electricity consumers bemoan scarcity of pre-paid meters

    Electricity consumers have expressed disappointment over the inability of the distribution companies (DISCOs) to provide them with pre-paid meters.

    They lamented that they have been forced to live with pains associated with the arbitrariness that goes with ‘estimated billing’ system of the DISCOs.

    Some of the consumers complained that they have even paid for the metres but have not been given, wondering why it should be so, especially now that the sector is in the hands of entrepreneurs who, government said, are better managers of business.

    A man who identified himself simply as Samuel said he  cannot understand why the investors cannot supply metres to their customers.

    “These so-called investors seem not to know what to do. In my view, the first step to   profitabilit would have been to provide customers the pre-paid metres free of charge. “Then they should monitor how often they vend because people may want to sabotage the system. It is when people pay for energy consumed that they will make money.“

    Another customer in Egbeda, a Lagos suburb expressed frustration. “I am on estimated billing. I am forced to pay between N7,000 and N10,000 monthly. I do not run a manufacturing outfit,” he said.

    This is coming even after the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), had in October 22 last year, ordered DISCOs to provide metres to their customers within 45 days to reduce the problems of consumers.

    The Nation check revealed that customers daily besiege offices of the DISCOs for pre-paid metres.

    But a staff of IKEDC, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the firm might roll out metres before April, adding that efforts are on-going to give metres to customers soon.

    ‘’The metres may be free. Nobody knows. But what it is certain is that the company would roll out metres soon.

    The General Manager, Consumer Services, IKEDC, Ms Olubukola Ojurongbe, had in an earlier interview with The Nation, said the company was making efforts to solve all the metering problems facing it. Ojurongbe said the DISCOs were not responsible for the scarcity of pre-paid metres in the country, promising that IKEDC was not folding its arms on the issue.

  • ‘Prepaid meters coming next year’

    ‘Prepaid meters coming next year’

    The Chief Executive Officer of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), Mr. Robert Dickerman has assured electricity consumers in the southeast that the power firm will supply prepaid electricity meters in the region by the first quarter of 2015.

    Dickerman in an interactive forum in Aba, the Abia State commercial hub, said that the prepaid meters were going to address the issue of estimated billing and also ensure that consumers are correctly billed for what they consume.

    According to him, the supply of the meter will be a gradual process, assuring that arrangements were already concluded on how to conduct a census to ascertain  the number of electricity users in the zone so as to enable the electricity distribution company have an idea of consumers that would need the meter.

    The EEDC CEO lamented the activities of vandals and some electricity consumers who enjoy the services of the company without paying for them. He urged customers to report such persons to security agencies, stressing that “no business or company no matter how big or rich survives with persistent loss of its revenue”.

    On what the company is doing to improve power supply in the region, the CEO said that they had improved power supply significantly from 29, 000mega watts to 35,000 mega watts within one year of taking over from defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria, adding that 10,000 transformers were already on the ground to support the existing ones.

    In his speech, Chief Emeka Offor, EEDC Board Chairman and Grand Patron, Southeast Traders Association underscored the importance of Aba to the economy of the zone and the country at large, promising that the company was going to serve electricity users in the city well to ensure that they get value for the money they are paying for electricity.

    Offor who stated that efforts were ongoing to flush out bad eggs, instill discipline among staff and promote service delivery urged consumers not to hesitate in reporting any staff that was found indulging in any sharp practices to the management who he said would lose his or her job if culpable of the offence he or she was accused for.

    Some of the stakeholders who spoke at the event complained of high tariff and estimated bills, poor service delivery, sharp practices by EEDC staff, replacement of obsolete transformers, absence of power supply in their area for over a period of time and among others which they said calls for urgent attention to enable them enjoy the money they pay for electricity consumption.

    They thanked the company for finding time to come and talk to them and expressed hope that the management would go back and address properly some issues raised at the meeting. They suggested that the interactive session be held periodically at the Mandela Hall of Hotel De La Paix, Aba.

     

  • 500,000 pre-paid meters coming

    The Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) is to instal 500,000 electricity pre-paid meters in the next three years.

    The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Abiodun Ajifowobaje, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

    He said the installation would begin in December.

    The CEO said IKEDC would ensure effective metering for customers without meters to stop estimated billing.

    He told NAN that the company was faced with challenges of adequate meters and insufficiency of energy from the National Grid.

    Ajifowobaje, however, said IKEDC was working out modalities for a lasting solution to the problems.

    The CEO said the company had established a customers’ forum’’ in all its business units.

    “Our first phase plan is to ensure that about 300,000 pre-paid meters are rolled out by December while the others will be installed to replace faulty ones in the next three years.

    “The IKEDC receives 350 mega watts to 450 mega watts instead of a daily energy supply of 1,250 mega watts from the National Grid.

    “I am, however, happy to report that IKEDC is involved in talks with several partners to explore supply from embedded power generation, independent power projects and other sources, to improve supply.”

  • Minister: over 50% electricity consumers have no meters

    Minister: over 50% electricity consumers have no meters

    MINISTER of Power Prof Chinedu Nebo yesterday lamented that over 50 per cent of electricity consumers have no meters.

    He said with this development, would-be investors in a privatised electricity market might find it difficult to recoup their money.

    Speaking when he received a Brazilian delegation led by Vice-Minister of Development, Industry and International Trade Ricardo Shaefer in his office in Abuja, Nebo highlighted the challenges Nigeria was facing in addressing the metering gap. In a statement by the ministry’s Deputy Director, Press, Timothy Oyedeji, Nebo sought the Brazilians’ cooperation in Nigeria’s quest to ensure that all its nationals enjoy electricity.

    According to the minister, the Federal Government is prepared to revamp the ailing power sector with assistance from others around the world.

    He said: ‘’Brazil has not penetrated enough in our on-going sales of power assets; “we are prepared to link you with Nigerian partners, so that we can benefit from your expertise in generation, distribution, technology access and capacity building”.

    Brazil, he said, had done well in many aspects of electricity especially in hydro, biomass, solar, wind and coal to power. He said Nigeria intended to learn from Brazil, which has leapfrogged in the attainment of development goals.

  • NERC asks customers to pay for meters

    NERC asks customers to pay for meters

    Against its ealier stance to provide meters free of charge, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) yesterday asked willing customers to pay to Distribution Companies (DISCOs) after which a meter will be given to them within 45 days.

    NERC Chairman Dr. Sam Amadi, who said this in Abuja, explained that in exchange for the payment, “the DISCOs will in turn reduce the customers’ electricity bills monthly to the tune of the amount originally advanced by the customer.”

    He said the Commission may accredit meter vendors to supply and install the meters directly to customers, adding that NERC will work out the modalities for the payment.

    This decision followed the companies’ slow implementation of the 18-month timeline for metering deployment plan set by NERC at the commencement of the Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO2) in June, last year.

    The tariff made allowance for sufficient funds to provide meters so that customers were no longer required to pay for the facility.

    But Amadi explained that the 18-month metering plan was based on the assumption that with financial viability, the process would improve after MYTO 2.

    “Unfortunately, the negotiation between labour and the Federal Government has resulted in increased personnel cost by 50 per cent. The impact is that the operational cost of the DISCOs increased significantly. So the DISCOs have not been able to utilise increment in collection arising from tariff review to focus on metering.”

    He said the Commission would hold a public hearing for SMEs and other stakeholders to arrive at a more affordable fixed charge to ensure sustenance of the sector.

    “The Board of the Commissioners also reviewed the requests made by some electricity distribution companies to unbundle customers classes (R2 and R3), a development that will see to customers in the R2 category, who are mostly low-income working class customers paying less for electricity without undermining the capacity of the operators to recover their costs.

    He said NERC has requested for an imposition of Kilo Volt Amp (KVA) charges to users of heavy industrial machinery that are known to cause stress to the system, adding that the charge would serve as a deterrent to such customers and compel them to install capacitor baks that will be used to reduce the impact.

    The Commission also revealed that it received a request from Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (Bulk Trader) to grant a special permit to the 450 megawatt Azura- Edo power plant located in Ihovbor Benin, Edo State.

    Amadi explained that the permit is in respect of a site specific wholesale gas price that is higher than the official price to enable it complete it’s financial transactions and commence construction of the plant.

    While accepting that the power plant is important in terms of wholesale, he stressed that the commission has resolved that a decision will be taken after a public hearing with the stakeholders such as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation , DISCOs, electricity consumers and others.

    On metering plans, he said: “I also like to inform you that we have received concerns about slow deployment of meters. As you know, NERC had indicated metering the nation in 18 months based on the assumption on how the financial viability would improve after MYTO II.