Is President Olusegun Obasanjo's proposed National Dialogue the way forward for Nigeria?
NEPA, Firm Sign Pact on Pre-paid Meters
By Chinazor Megbolu, 12.15.2004
Lagos
National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) has signed a bulk power purchase agreement with a local gas firm, Domelectric, a subsidiary of DOMGAS Nigeria Limited. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the official work order permit, was for bulk power purchase as well as prepaid metering in NEPA's Eko Distribution Zone. It entails Domelectric selling energy for some selected shopping malls, housing estates, markets and other strategic locations considered strategic under the zone. The agreement, which is a private sector initiative, will involve the deployment of about 200,000 units of single-phase and three-phase pre-paid electronic meters that will replace the existing ones free of charge under the pilot scheme under the Eko distribution zone. Areas to be covered in the initial arrangement which will see the energy consumers using electronic smartcards to pay for the energy they intend to consume, a development that is expected to eliminate outrageous bills. The business units under the zone where Domelectric will deploy the meters include the Festac business unit, Island business unit and the Ijora business unit in the interim. A stakeholders' meeting convened by the management NEPA's Eko distribution zone, Marina was held last month to discuss the problems associated with metering, billing and payments in the units under the distribution zone. The scope of the agreement include the proper enumeration of shopping malls, organised markets, housing estates and other strategic locations in each of the business units while the locations so identified for bulk metering and billing shall be bulk-metered by NEPA.
The retailing job is to be carried out by Domelectric for all the business units ceded to it while it is also expected to arrange for the for the collection of revenue from the individual customers through the prepaid meters as deemed appropriate for the collection of electricity sales. The MoU also states that all previously NEPA meters previously in use at the converted shopping malls, housing estates, markets and other strategy locations shall be credited back to the Authority's stores being its sole property. The agreement also covers the repair and replacement of faulty and damaged transformers, feeder pillars and other power equipment spares. NEPA, which has fully commercialised its distribution arm, had indicated interest to procure three million pieces of electricity pre-paid meters to boost revenue collection. The state power utility, which has come under sharp criticism lately for the frequent power outages, said it was aiming to surpass the monthly revenue generation of N6 billion, listing the introduction of the pre-paid meter as one of the strategies to achieve the target. The authority had carried out pilot scheme in Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Dolphin Estate in Lagos, and some areas in Abuja.
Axiom PSI Yam Festival Series, Iri Ji Nd'Igbo the Kola-Nut Series,Nigeria Masterweb
Norimatsu| Nigeria Forum |
Biafra | Biafra
Nigeria | BLM | Hausa Forum
| Biafra
Web | Voice of
Biafra | Okonko Research and Igbology| | Igbo World | BNW | MASSOB | Igbo
Net | bentech | IGBO FORUM
| HAUSANET (AWUSANET) | AREWA FORUM
| YORUBANET | YORUBA FORUM
| New Nigeriaworld | WIC:World Igbo Congress
