The Minster of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, on Tuesday advised operators in the power supply industry to focus on improving the lot of electricity consumers.
Fashola made the call in a communique at the end of the 11th monthly meeting of operators in the power sector. The communique was by Hakeem Bello, Special Adviser on Communication to the Minister in Abuja.
According to the document, Fashola encouraged the operators and service providers to enhance the experience of their consumers by improving metering and reduction of estimated billings.
The meeting focused on identifying and finding practical solutions to critical issues facing the Nigerian electricity supply industry.
It also acknowledged that the family affected by the electrical accident at Oke-Ira, Ogba, in Lagos State had been compensated by Ikeja Electric Company.
All operators also agreed to prioritise safety in all their undertakings to avoid future accidents.
The meeting acknowledged the challenges of liquidity in the sector and efforts being made by the Federal Government and international development partners to address the challenges.
It was also agreed that all operators should pay their bills to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET), their suppliers and service providers promptly.
The meeting resolved that operators should complete and submit their outstanding audited financial accounts before the next meeting, to improve transparency within the sector.
It also emphasised the importance of ongoing works to be completed, including all outstanding work at the Ikot Ekpene Switching Station that was commissioned on Nov. 21, 2016.
“This is to further consolidate capacity to deliver incremental power. The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) reported that the capacity of the grid was dynamic and that with the commissioning of Ikot Ekpene switch yard, transmission capacity was now above 6,500MVA.’’
Accordingly, the meeting agreed on the importance of government ministries, department and agencies to pay their debts.
It also stressed the need for proper verification and data collection, to improve liquidity in the sector.
The Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) announced at the meeting that the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) was the best performing DISCO in the third quarter of 2016.
It said that the result was based on the company’s high rates of collections, metering progress, health and safety measures, among other indicators.
Similarly, the Okpai Power Plant was announced as the best performing thermal plant in the third quarter of 2016 while Shiroro was the best performing hydroelectric plant.
The meeting noted that the score for generating plants was based on availability and general compliance with industry standards.
