By Moses Patience Chat
Ikeja Electric has said that the deployment and use of smart meters can enhance electricity distribution and grow revenue generation in the energy sector across Nigeria.
Mrs. Folake Soetan, who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), of the Company stated this while speaking at the 80th edition of the monthly Power Dialogue Series in Abuja.
The CEO noted that despite numerous reforms, the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) has always remained in a developing stage. She further added that numerous problems that have plagued the power industry’s on-grid segment and prevented its advancement include inadequate network infrastructure and outdated assets.
Other stakeholders, including energy experts who attended the meeting, agreed that the financial implications of the lack of smart metering are significant in terms of the financial health of electricity distribution companies (Discos). They also argued that Discos and other regulatory bodies should develop strategies that will help to avoid technical and commercial losses in order to convince potential investors to bring in more money to develop the sector.
It would be recalled that the use of prepaid meters was implemented under several programs by past administrations in Nigeria, such as the Credit Advance Payment Metering Implementation (CAPMI), the Meter Asset Provider (MAP), and the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) in order to guarantee improved energy access and revenue generation.
Unfortunately, through meter manipulations, bypassing and illicit access to electricity, some electricity users in Nigeria have “vehemently fought these attempts,” making it difficult to reach the goal.
The various stakeholders at the summit also gave remarks on the need for technology to reduce losses in the distribution subsector of the NESI, including collection losses They added further that there would also be a need to understand the technical and commercial losses associated with the industry in order to solve these problems in question.