Nigeria has continually being in darkness, energy darkness, no thanks to the epileptic supply of power to citizens.

 

 

To add salt to injury, most Nigerians are left at the mercy of insensitive electricity distribution companies, who charge exorbitant fees for energy that doesn’t come.

 

 

As most Nigerians continue to cry blue murder, it appears their wails and lamentations have finally gotten the ears of the Federal Government as the FG recently approved twenty two new energy firms to procure and install meters for customers under the Meter Assets Providers MAP.

 

 

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission under the latest arrangement hopes that the development will put an end to the years of estimated billing of electricity customers, a situation that has negatively impacted the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry NESI.

 

 

A statement by the General Manager, Public Affairs, Dr. Usman Abba-Arabi, said the ‘No Objection’ qualifies intending investors to participate in the meter procurement process in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry NESI.

 

 

He said following the Commission’s approval of the MAP Regulations 2018, applications were invited from interested investors for ‘No Objection’ from the Commission. The GM added that approval was granted to the 22 firms after a successful conduct of due diligence on the supporting documents of applications submitted by interested investors.

 

NERC listed the companies granted ‘No Objection’ to include Huawei Technology Company Nigeria Limited; Bilview Energy Limited; Chintech Electro Nigeria Limited; Holley Metering Limited; Meron Nigeria Limited; Integrated Power Limited; MBH Power Limited; Trimani Engineering Limited; Sapropel Energy Resources Limited; Megawatt Distribution International Limited; Unistar Hi-Tech Systems Limited; and MOMAS Electricity Meters Manufacturing Company Limited.

 

 

Others are Imperial Infrastructure Development Company Limited; Ratio Consulting Limited; Protogy Global Services Limited; Paktim Metering Nigeria Limited; Sabrud Consortium Nigeria Limited; Tinuten Nigeria Limited; Kayz Consortium Limited; BTS Power Limited; CIG Metering Assets Nigeria Limited and Cresthill Energy Limited.

 

 

The MAP Regulations is intended to facilitate closure of the wide metering gap in the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry, NESI, within three years.

 

 

The regulation mandates electricity distribution companies to engage meter assets providers who fund purchase, installation and replacement of meters to meet Discos metering obligations to their customers.

 

 

“This is to ensure that all electricity customers are metered thereby reducing incidences of estimated electricity billing to the barest minimum,” the commission stated.

 

 

The Commission advised members of the public and intending investors to note that the publication of the applicants does not foreclose other interested applicants from getting the ‘No Objection’ as it is a continuous exercise.

 

 

The MAP Regulation which enables new investors to finance mass metering plans for electricity users was brought into effect by NERC on April 3, 2018.