Electricity distribution companies (Discos) in the country’s power supply chain yesterday blamed federal government’s high import duty on meters for the difficulty in providing the equipment for their customers.

The power distributors maintained that among other hurdles slowing the firms’ 2021 metering target of Meter Asset Providers (MAP) regulation, inability to clear the goods from the ports remains a major setback for the industry.

Many of the Discos, including Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), have recently put the federal government charges at 35 per cent, which has made it almost impossible to get meters into the country.

Coming under their umbrella of the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), Discos called on the federal government to intervene in finding a means to cut the duty on imported meters in order to enable faster metering for their customers towards ending the estimated billing regime.

The statement issued by Executive Director, Research and Advocacy of ANED, Mr Sunday Oduntan, said some of the MAP companies have the capacity to install about 3,000 meters per day for the Discos if the meters are available.

“These are separate companies but Discos support MAP and we want them to succeed.

“There should be zero percent import duty on meters. We must assist local meter manufacturers to bring in components duty-free until Ajaokuta Steel Company is ready. The high import duty at the ports is killing the power sector.

“When customers are metered, they would be happy. Estimated billing is not good for the Discos’ revenue collection drive.

“While those importing meters are finding it hard because of the import duty, local meter manufacturers are also finding it difficult to continue production because they have to pay import duty on at least seven different components which they import for use in producing the meters in Nigeria,” Discos lamented.

They said power firms cannot be blamed for the current slow process of providing meters for their customers as that role was given to the MAP companies since Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) implemented the MAP regulation in 2019 and gave permits to metering firms to provide and install the meters for Discos.

ANED also said Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) which tests and certifies meters for Discos recently confirmed that the firms were to present 1.023 million meters for testing in the first phase of MAP scheme which began in May 2019 which they have been unable to do.

Thisday