DisCos promise to achieve metering soon

• Say only MD customers are exempted from payment

The Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED) promised to achieve metering of their customers sooner than later.

It reiterated that only Maximum Demand customers are exempted from payment of electricity bills in absence of meters.

The association that is an umbrella body of the 11 electricity distribution companies (DisCos) yesterday made the clarification in a statement.

The statement reads in part: “the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED) hereby provides clarification on the information contained in certain recent publications, on the notice issued by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, (NERC) on the metering of Maximum Demand (MD) customers.

“The publications have, erroneously, stated that the requirement of non-payment of electricity obligations, in the absence of the customer not being provided with a meter, applies to all electricity consumers.  This is incorrect. For clarity, this requirement only applies to, and is specific to MD customers and not residential customers.

“For further clarity, MD customers are commercial and industrial customers who consume high levels of electricity and contribute substantially to the revenues of Distribution Companies (DisCos). The consumption threshold for MD customers is 45KVA.The MD meters are connected on the 11Kv (High tension wire) electricity lines, mostly on dedicated transformers. The customers include heavy users of electricity like commercial business plazas, large firms, and small-scale industries among others.”

“We recognise that significant interest in the NERC notice is directly linked to our customers’ requirement that they be metered. And rightly so. It is critically important that we state that there is no more interested party in the comprehensive metering of our electricity consumers than the DisCos.  And this is because we understand and fully appreciate the importance of the balance between electricity consumers tracking their consumption versus DisCos having a measure of electricity supplied to their customers, that metering brings. It is our hope and expectation that such metering will be achieved sooner rather than later.

“While we continue to operate with the estimated billing methodology that is approved and mandated by NERC, we are working diligently towards addressing the metering obligations specified under our Performance Agreements with the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE), as well as ensuring that we continue to be sensitive and responsive to the inadvertent challenges of estimated billing that our residential or non-MD customers are faced with.

“Again, please note that the NERC directive ONLY applies to MD customers and not residential customers. NERC has made the clarification as well, which is available on their website and publicised.”