The Federal Government may soon license private meter firms to supply meters to homes and businesses across the country.
Known as Meter Asset Providers according to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, about 108 meter providers had submitted applications to Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), seeking the Federal Government’s approval for the implementation.
Speaking in Lagos at the commissioning of upgraded and remodeled Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), Chemical and Engineering Laboratory in Lagos at the weekend, Fashola said the MAP policy allows new businesses to enter the metering scheme, the way the electricity generation and distribution companies were licensed, adding that the meter providers would be licensed to supply meters to homes and businesses directly without necessarily waiting for the distribution companies.
This, the minister said, will relieve the pressure on the finances of DisCos to supply meters.
The initiative, according to Fashola, did not discharge DisCos of the contractual obligation that they might have, but in a way, helped to ease the challenges they faced in financing the supply of meters by opening business for new operators to come in.
“At this moment, 108 companies have applied and they are going through the process of being certified by NERC. The policy is now playing out and the distance and transition between policy and impact we will see as the supply of meters are done.
“These will also give great economic impact as there will be employment of technicians, installers, fitters who are going to be trained by our training institute, National Power Training Institute (NAPTIN) as it will be kicking off in a couple of months,” Fashola said
Speaking on the new laboratory, Fashola said the NEMSA laboratory is now upgraded, properly fitted to help the agency discharge and enforce safety compliance.
“With the laboratory, NEMSA can now enforce compliance and comply for a better service delivery down the entire value chain,” he said
NEMSA chief executive officer and Chief Electrical Inspector of the Federation Mr Peter Ewesor, explained that the Chemical and Engineering Laboratory has been upgraded and remodelled to enable NEMSA deliver appropriately on its mandate and responsibility of monitoring the quality, standards and specifications of critical electrical properties of chemicals and insulating oil and materials used in electrical and power equipment along the value chain to ensure their efficient performance.
