Kaduna DISCO to roll out 80,000 meters yearly

The Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KEDC) has promised to roll out 80,000 pre-paid meters annually for the next five years.Its Managing Director, Haruna Garuba spoke during the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) public consultation on electricity metering in Kaduna.The forum had The Credited Advance Payment for Metering Implementation ( CAPMI) as its theme.He said: We have a plan to roll out about 80,000 meters every year. In Kaduna, the customer base is about 480,000. We believe it could be more than that. So in our plan, we know more houses are being built and more customers are coming on stream. That is why we have the plan to bridge the gap.He said under CAPMI, it is expected that customers should willingly make advance payment for pre-paid meter which the electricity distribution company is obliged to install within 45 days of provision of notice of payment by the customer.But Garuba said the company will rehabilitate most of the equipment and invest in infrastructure in its electricity market that cuts across over a distance of 1,000Km in Kaduna, Zamfara, Kebbi and Sokoto states.The NERC Commissioner, Government and Consumer Affairs, Dr. Abbah Ibrahim had earlier urged the distribution company to bridge the 60 per cent metering gap in the market.He said: More that 50 per cent, in some cases 60 per cent of consumers are not metered and this led to a situation where customers are estimated.He also said the commission has directed the DISCOs to publish their electricity load shedding plan as from next year.Ibrahim said: By next year, all the DISCOs will publish and they will also announce on the television in their coverage area the time they are going to do their load shedding.KEDC Head, Customer Service Market, Mr. Sunday Yahaya said the company which has commenced verification of customers has installed 8,601 meters under the CAPMI scheme.He told the commission that the challenge in the provision of meters to the customers was the large area of coverage by the company and the distance from where the vendors transport the meters.He added that some of the customers hardly notify the company that they have paid for the meters.A customers who simply identified himself as Buba Umar from Kwaro, complained that his community earns low income therefore NERC should review the method of CAPMI payment, which according to him was a burden for the customers.He urged the commission to make room for part payment, noting that since the companies are private investors, they should be prepared for long time investment.Another customer, Sunday Olusegun complained that his electricity bill suddenly rose to N60,000 monthly in June this year.The post Kaduna DISCO to roll out 80,000 meters yearly appeared first on The Nation.]]>
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