Distribution companies (DisCos) yesterday, said that the 2021 deadline to meter all electricity consumers across the country migt not be feasible due to high import duty.
Apart from high import duties, the Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), Sunday Oduntan, in a statement, also noted that there were other huddles that were slowing the firms’ 2021 metering target of the Meter Asset Providers (MAP) regulation.
He did not, however, mention the huddles in his statement.
To this end, the association called on the Federal Government to intervene in finding a means to cut the duty on imported meters, to enable faster metering of customers.
According to Oduntan, some of the Meter Assets Providers (MAP) companies have the capacity to install about 3,000 meters per day for the Discos if the meters are available.
“There should be zero per cent import duty on meters. We must assist local meter manufacturers to bring in components duty-free until Ajaokuta Steel Company is ready. The high import duty at the ports is killing the power sector.
“When customers are metered, they would be happy. Estimated billing is not good for the Discos’ revenue collection drive. While those importing meters are finding it hard because of the import duty, the local meter manufacturers are also finding it difficult to continue production because they have to pay import duty on, at least, seven different components which they import for use in producing the meters in Nigeria”, Oduntan said.
The group said the power firms should not be blamed for the current slow process of providing meters for their customers as that role was alienated to the MAP companies since the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) implemented the MAP regulation in 2019 and gave permits to metering firms to provide and install the meters for Discos.
