The Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) says the company will roll out 200,200 meters in Delta in the next two years with a monthly cumulative average at 10,000 units.
Mr Abu Ejoor , the Executive Director, the Commercial, BEDC, disclosed this at the media launch of the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme on Thursday in Asaba.
Ejoor recalled that MAP was introduced by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to bridge the metering gap in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
”NERC has three parties approved to carry out this metering roll out in Delta and they are ‘Inlaks Power Solution Ltd., G. Unit Engineering Ltd., and Turbo Energy Ltd.,” he said.
He said that MAP approved that the parties would carry out the meter rollout location, route by route, street by street, adding that enumeration was a prerequisite for meters to be provided under MAP.
The executive director said that metering would take off from Asaba and eventually move to all the local government areas across the state.
”Some of the locations earmarked for the take-off include NTA Road, behind government house, Okpanam Road and GRA axis in Asaba.
”Enumeration is key to the actualisation of the scheme and our customers are required to complete the customer data and the survey form after which the MAP will assess the customer’s premises in readiness for metering.
”Once a customer premises is cleared, he will be advised on how to pay for the meter, whether single phase or three phase.
”We advise customers not to give cash to either MAP or BEDC staff and should pay only into the bank accounts designated by the MAP.
”After payment confirmation, the customer will then be metered within the stipulated time,” he said.
On the main objective of MAP, Ejoor said that it would help to eliminate estimated billing practice in the NESI.
Ejoor therefore appealed to the customers to cooperate with the enumerators who have been assigned to the various locations in the state.
Ejoor, who reiterated that BEDC was committed to improving service delivery in the state, noted that 37 per cent of BEDC’s allocations came to Delta.
He said that an average of 84,516 Mega Wax was being delivered to the state monthly.
Ejoor, however, noted that the greatest challenge facing BEDC was transmission problems.
“Transmission problems have severely hampered our ability to receive power for onward sale to our customers across some parts of the state,” Ejoor said.