Power
Prepaid meter scheme, a must – FG
ABUJA – Indications have emerged that the Federal Government will enforce the Credited Advance Payment for Metering Implementation initiated by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to close the metering gap and curb ‘crazy billing’ in the power sector.
The NERC Chairman, Dr. Sam Amadi, told our correspondent on Tuesday that CAPMI would continue to operate even if the DISCOs decided to initiate their own metering programme.
Amadi said, “CAPMI operates until a DISCO starts implementing its own metering plan. CAPMI operates until a DISCO provides a better plan. NERC is an effective regulator. Our plan is to increase our effectiveness and smartness. We will encourage where necessary and sanction when needed. We will bark and bite and also speak softly when necessary. Our focus is to protect the public interest and not grandstand.”
The PUNCH on Friday reported that the new investors, who took over the distribution companies formerly owned by the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, had jettisoned the CAPMI scheme initiated by NERC, the power industry regulator of the 10 distribution companies in the country. Only Ikeja and Eko electricity distribution companies have begun the CAPMI scheme as a response to customers’ complaints about estimated billing.
But our correspondent learnt that the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, owned by NEDC/Kepco Consortium, had suspended the prepaid meter scheme, while its Eko counterpart was no longer keen about the scheme.
Its chances of survival at the Eko Distribution Company, according to sources, remain very slim.
The CAPMI scheme was designed by the NERC to fill the metering gap as contained in the Multi-Year Tariff Order II.
The scheme came about due to the slow pace of customer metering by the distribution companies.
It provides a platform for willing customers to pay the cost of the meter into a dedicated account jointly managed by the DISCO and the meter vendor/installer.
Once the payment has been effected, NERC said the customer would have their meter installed within 45 days, by a NERC accredited vendor/installer.
The acting Chief Executive Officer, Ikeja DISCO, Mr. Abiodun Ajifowobaje, had, during the inauguration of the scheme, promised that electricity customers would get the prepaid meters within 45 days.
According to him, customers who pay N25,000 for a single phase or N50,000 for a double-phase meter are expected to get their meters within 48 hours or a maximum of 45 days.
The Federal Government has said it will through the Bureau of Public Enterprises and NERC, continuously monitor the new power investors to ensure that they do what they are obligated to do. This includes bringing in the required investment and addressing customers’ complaints such as efficient metering that will curb ‘crazy billing’.
Analysts, however, said the last had not been heard about the CAPMI scheme.
At the introduction of the scheme in March 2013, the NERC chairman had noted that CAPMI would eliminate estimated billing.
The commission has also accredited a number of local prepaid manufacturers/vendors and installers to implement the scheme.
Pursuant to the order signed by the NERC on May 14, 2013, and the process ‘No objection’ granted by the Bureau of Public Procurement for the procurement of electric meters, the commission said it had accredited nine prepaid meter manufacturers and 15 importers to implement the metering scheme.
In addition to the list of manufacturers and importers, NERC said it had also accredited 38 vendors, 11 individual installers and 61 corporate installers.
Six of the certified meter manufacturers/vendors/installers, who entered into an agreement with the Ikeja Disco for the CAPMI are MOMAS System Nigeria Limited, MOJEC Group of Companies, Chemo-Technics Limited, MBH Power Limited, Unistar Hi-tech System Limited and First Global Excel Resources.
Some of them said the importation of prepaid meters would deter the growth of domestic meter manufacturing.
They said they had to develop capacity ahead of their involvement in the CAPMI scheme in order to boost local content in the power sector.
They argued that if the DISCOs did not patronise them or if the patronage dropped, they would lose investments.
– SWEETCRUDE REPORTS
According to reports, Nigeria’s population may face more challenging times ahead as electricity tariffs are projected to increase by over 40 percent in the near future.
This rise in tariffs could ultimately result in the elimination of all energy subsidies in the country.
Currently, the electricity sector relies on a monthly subsidy of approximately N50 billion, stemming from a shortfall in revenue.
The tariff hike, scheduled to take effect from July 1, will pose another significant test for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and its ongoing market reforms.
The government has already taken steps to remove subsidies on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and implemented a floating exchange rate for the national currency.
These decisions have added complexity to the price-setting process of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and its 2022 Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO).
Despite power sector players failing to meet the target of supplying a minimum of 5,000 megawatts, even after signing contracts with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the current Service Based Tariff (SBT) is based on an exchange rate of N441/$ and an inflation rate of 16.97 percent.
According to NERC’s directives in 2015, the average tariff for distribution companies (DisCos) and different categories of end-users was N25 per kilowatt, as per Order 198/2020, which came into effect on September 1, 2020.
However, in the MYTO for 2022, the average tariff increased to N60 per kilowatt across all customer categories, and in the most recent update, it stands at N64 per kilowatt.
The determination of the 2015 tariff relied on a foreign exchange rate of N198.97/$, which increased to N383.80/$ in 2020 and further to N441.78/$ in 2022. In terms of inflation, the 2015 MYTO utilized an 8.3 percent rate, which rose to 12 percent in 2020 and reached 16.97 percent in 2022.
Currently, the inflation rate stands at 22.41 percent, and experts predict it could reach 30 percent by the end of June, considering the floating of the naira and the removal of subsidies on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
The tariff determination process takes into account various factors, including the significant metering gap of over seven million, gas prices, losses within the system, and the actual generation capacity. These elements play a role in determining the final tariff.
As anticipated, NERC had projected that the tariff for July 2023 would eliminate subsidies and introduce increases to the previously frozen tariff bands D and E.
These adjustments were intended to raise the bands from N54.59/kilowatt to N62.16 for band D and from N48.37/kilowatt to N61.16 on average. Moreover, the average increase across all bands was expected to reach N67/kilowatt.
However, due to the ongoing floating of the naira and the significant inflationary pressures, it is now projected that the new average tariff will need to be approximately N88/kilowatt for the power sector to recover its costs.
According to energy lawyer Madaki Ameh, the continuous and frequent increases in power tariffs are akin to a form of blackmail against electricity consumers.
Amen said “Indexing the cost of electricity on the dollar is a huge mistake because most of the inputs for electricity supply are local. The DisCos are also holding Nigerians to ransom by failing to increase the supply base, thereby spreading the tariffs across a broader spectrum of consumers to reduce the unit cost of electricity.”
He insisted that as long as there remain many unmetered consumers and many others not connected to the grid at all, the few consumers on the grid would continue to be subjected to unjust tariffs, which are not reflective of the quality of service delivered.
Ameh hoped that the signing into law of the new Electricity Act would mark “the beginning of light at the end of the long tunnel of inefficient and epileptic power supply in Nigeria.”
Segun Ajibola, the former President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) and a professor of Economics at Babcock University, highlighted that there remains a gap between the cost of electricity and the value it provides in exchange.
“Nigerians are still struggling to keep pace with the cost of energy for business and household use. If the electricity tariff goes up as envisaged, the question remains if there will be value for the quantum of electricity so paid for.
“The truth remains that if electricity supply is constant, of the right quantity and quality, the envisaged upward review in the tariff will be gladly absorbed by the populace,” he said.
Lanre Elatuyi, an Electricity Market Analyst, expressed that the recently implemented tariff rate would have significant implications. He emphasized that the devaluation of the Nigerian currency poses a major challenge for companies with dollar-denominated loans to repay.
He said “They will need more naira today to buy a dollar. They need to manage their exposure to foreign exchange risk. Even operators of hydro plants pay their concession fees in dollars. So, wholesale electricity price will be adjusted upward and this will get to the end users’ tariffs too.”
Senator Shehu Sani, a prominent Nigerian lawmaker has accused President Muhammadu Buhari’s government and state governors of secretly selling five power generating plants without disclosing the utilization of the funds received.
He disclosed this in his Twitter handle on Monday.
Senator Sani, known for his outspoken nature and activism expresses his concerns over the alleged undisclosed sale of the power plants.
He claimed that the government, in collaboration with state governors, had carried out the transactions without informing the Nigerian public about the purpose of the funds acquired from the sale.
The post reads “Buhari’s Government in collaboration with the State Governors quietly sold the five power generating plants without telling the country what the money was used for.
The Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has inaugurated the Afam 3 Fast Power 240-megawatt turbine project in Rivers State.
The project, which is a subsidiary of the Transcorp Group located in Oyigbo, on the outskirts of Port Harcourt in the state, was unveiled during a ceremony that took place on Tuesday.
The event, which was attended by several dignitaries, including the Chairman of Transcorp Group, Tony Elumelu, and other top officials, saw the Vice President arriving at the venue in a chopper at exactly 11:35 am.
Upon his arrival, he was escorted into the premises where he officially inaugurated the project.
During his speech at the event, he disclosed that the acquisition of the project was approved by the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) and the acquisition cost was ₦105.3 trillion.
Osinbajo further emphasized that the successful completion of the project is a significant breakthrough in Nigeria’s power sector.
In his address, Osinbajo said, “In 2020, electricity subsidies reached N584 billion, but service-based tariffs have led to a doubling of collection in the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry from N40 billion in 2020 to N80 billion in the first quarter of 2023.
“If this trajectory continues, the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry will be able to pay for itself. Our administration has also created programs for off-grid for electrification. Rural Electrification Agency now has the capacity to provide electricity supply on a first-class basis.
“We are on track to electrify all Nigerians in the next decade. However, we will not make progress if our gas supply does not improve. The gas supply challenges are hampering improvements.”
He further lauded General Electric, the National Council on Privatization (NCP), and the host communities for their contribution to the completion of the Afam 3 Fast Power 240-megawatt turbine project in Rivers State.
Osinbajo highlighted that the successful completion of the project will significantly increase the country’s power supply capacity, leading to a better quality of life for Nigerians.
In November 2020, the federal government and the Transcorp Power Consortium signed a share sale and purchase agreement in relation to Afam Power Plc and Afam 3 Fast Power Limited.
The National Council on Privatization approved the privatization of the Afam Power Plant back in August 2017, which triggered a competitive bidding process involving 12 prospective investors.
After careful consideration, Transcorp Power Consortium emerged as the preferred bidder with a combined offer of N105 billion.
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