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Indigenous manufacturers target 70,000units/month to meet NERC’s deadline

To aid realisation of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC)’s May, 1 directive on meters roll-out, the Chairman...

[FILES] Power Meter

To aid realisation of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC)’s May, 1 directive on meters roll-out, the Chairman, Momas Electricity Meter Manufacturing Company Limited, Kola Balogun, has said that indigenous meter manufacturers have commenced increased production of meters to meet the deadline.

Balogun said indigenous meter manufacturers had doubled their production capacity to meet up the May 1 rollout date.

It would be recalled that NERC had on April 5, issued permits to Meter Asset Providers (MAPs) to rollout new meters not later than May 1, 2019.

According to him, manufacturers have concluded to commence three shift production activities to actualise the regulator’s directives on the May 1 deadline.

Balogun said: “we will be producing a minimum of about 70,000 meters monthly on three shift production operations to support the May 1 actualisation.” Manufacturers have taken bold steps to double production capacity in area of employment capacity, raw materials and effective services to support meeting up the deadline and NERC’s May 1 actilisation.”

Momas boss said that manufacturers had commenced recruitment of more personnel to fill in for the three shifts to be able to work round the clock to meet up the metering gap.

The decision, Balogun said had created more job opportunities for Nigerians.

“We (meter manufacturers) have been able to take youths off the street to start working with us. This would also boost the economy growth of the country.

It will also reduce the congestion of human capital at the labour market. I want to assure electricity consumers that the May 1 rollout of metering is feasible and achievable,”he said.

Balogun lauded the Minster of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola for the decision to address metering gap and power challenges in the country.

He also commended that chairman of NERC and the commissioners for their contributions towards the commencement of meter rollout in May 1, adding that would be a new dawn in the power sector.

He then urged government to support more indigenous meters manufacturing companies to excel, saying that MEMMCOL for example, is an example of the local content policy of the government.

He said, “MEMMCOL is 100 per cent local content, employing young and enterprising Nigerians and equipping them adequately with requisite training locally and internationally.”

Balogun said that MAP initiative would put an end to metering challenges faced by customers, adding that the programme expected to commence officially on May 1, was introduced to ensure they only paid for electricity actually consumed.

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