- vows to sanction DISCOs for failure to comply
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has subtly set February 28, 2017, deadline for the provision of pre-paid meters to customers across the country by the various electricity companies. The Commission was gathered to have vowed that it will sanction DISCOs which fail to meter electricity customers in their networks before Feb. 28, 2017.
NERC, in a statement on its website, had indicated that sanctioning of the defaulting DISCOs would begin on March 1. The statement highlighted that the expected sanction will be as a result of the previous directives by Commission and the moratorium period given to DISCOs to meter consumers. It noted that the Commission had in June 2016, after consultation with the operators, directed DISCOs to conclude metering of all customers before November 30, 2016.
According to NERC, the commission at the expiration of that notice granted three months moratorium which will expire February 28, 2017, to enable the DISCOs effectively execute the metering deployment plan for customers. It stated that any electricity customer yet to be metered as at February 28, 2017, should report to the commission through any of its Forum Offices in all the states of the federation.
The electricity companies have recently lamented the magnitude of the losses they have been encountering in the business. Many of the DISCOs also declared that they will still continue with estimated billing. Perhaps, the billing system provides them opportunity to make for the losses encountered through the pre-paid meter system.
Several customers still go through the rigour of crazy bills which do not reflect electricity consumption in their respective residents.