By Ndubuisi Francis
The Coalition of Arewa Assembly has decried the alleged move to stop the provision of eligible customers (EC) in the Nigerian electricity market, appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari and his economic team to urgently wade into the matter to avert economic collapse.
The Electricity Power Sector Reform Act (EPSRA) 2005 defines an ‘eligible customer’ as a customer that is eligible, pursuant to a directive or directives issued by the Minister of Power under Section 27, to purchase power from a licensee other than electricity distribution companies (discos).
A former Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, had on May 15, 2017, declared four categories of eligible customers in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
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How solar power plants can boost electricity supply –Ex-ECN boss
Tobi Aworinde
Former Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Prof Abubakar Sambo, has expressed support for the use of solar photovoltaics plants to increase electricity supply in the country.
Sambo, who spoke at a media chat and project roadmap presentation of the Ashama 200MW Solar PV Power Plant, said for Nigeria to have a significant expansion of its electricity supply, there is the absolute need for the government to consider a number of points.
The don, who is also the chairman, Minister’s Policy & Technical Advisory Committee on Environment, stated that the power sector reforms, which started with the 2005 liberalisation and 2013 privatisation, should be sustained and strengthened by ensuring that the provisions of operating licences granted to members of Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry were not violated.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has mandated the electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) to replace faulty and obsolete meters for their customers.
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has expressed concern about the continuing inability of its international as well as special customers to settle their invoices for services rendered by the Market Operator (MO).
NERC, in its quarterly report for the second quarter of 2020, obtained by THISDAY at the weekend, said the failure by Niger, Togo and Benin Republic and Ajaokuta Steel Company, which is a special customer, to meet their obligations were compounding the liquidity challenges in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
It, however, added that Compagnie Energie Electrique du Togo of Togo had offset N1.5 billion of the total debt owed.