NERC: DISCOs Must Put Up Meters In Every Home

Meter

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, (NERC) yesterday said it would compel the various distribution companies to install meters in all homes, so as to move away from estimated billing era into an energy serving regime.

The commission made this position known while appearing before the Senate committee on power to justify the hike in electricity tariff, revealing further that power supply had hit a record 5000 Megawatts as result of policies put in place to ensure that Nigerians get value for monies.

Acting chairman of the Commission, Mr Anthony Akah told the committee that the new policy of the commission would equally ensure that any distribution company that fails to meet with set standards would be sanctioned.

Akah also assured that henceforth, Nigerians will stop buying electricity polls as well as transformers, stressing that it is the duty of the distribution companies as part of the agreement with the regulator.

Earlier chairman of the committee Senator James Manger sort to know the justification for the hike at a time Nigerians are suffering from epileptic power supply.

His words, “The most important issue now is the issue of tariff which has come into effect. What do you stand to achieve and what is it all about, electricity is epileptic, yet people are paying high, but if there was an increased supply one can understand, but the case here is different”, he declared.

For the NERC acting chairman, “The new system is to increase both cost and supply. We have inbuilt mechanism such that people get value for money.

“We are also dealing with the issue of estimated billing and metering we also had issue where power was generated but could not be distributed, but now we are going to address it. 5000Megawatts was achieved yesterday, first of its kind and we are going to ensure that we make more progress.

-leadership