Power crisis: End blame game now, NERC tells DISCOs, TCN
Tasks DISCOs on modern technologies, innovations
Excited by AEDC’s performance
By Chris Ochayi – Abuja
The management of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, has advised electricity Distribution Companies, DISCOs, to deploy modern technologies and equipment that would guarantee network stability in order to improve the quality of electricity supply to the teeming consumers
Chairman of NERC, Professor James Momoh, who gave the advice during a facility tour of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC, in Abuja, told the management of the company to concentrate more on the deployment of emerging technology in order to ensure customer satisfaction.
Prof. Momoh also challenged key stakeholders in the power sector, especially that between the DISCOs and the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, to end the blame game, which according to him has impacted the sector negatively.
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The NERC boss while responding to a presentation by the Managing Director of AEDC, Engr. Ernest Mupwaya, said, “I have seen everything, one, what I want to say is sustainability, that what he has started must be sustained. We cannot afford to solve old problems with old technologies and expect change. Or new problems with old technologies and expect change.
“The growing sector called NESI, in Nigeria is becoming a new challenge. And unless we need to think out of the box, we cannot handle it. And I believe what I have heard this afternoon, is daily efforts by AEDC to address the new challenge, whether it is in a short term, whether it is in the medium-term or in a long term, using out-of-the-box critical thinking.
“And they are many other DISCOs in the country doing just what it is doing but today is AEDC day and I must concentrate on AEDC. For AEDC, you have shown that our power sector will very soon compete with world-class Distribution Companies anywhere.
“If you doubt it, just look back to what we heard. You are not asking me whether I can recall everything that I heard, but I could try. But I will keep you busy for nothing but I will surprise you because I know what he has said.
“The challenge of the industry if you ask is both the technical and commercial. If you get the technique right, you concentrate on the commercial, if you get the commercial right, you get the technology right. So, when you get all of them right, you an efficient reliable company.
“And that is the picture he has painted. MD, what you have said to us, we only wanted to study our project on interfaces; but we remind you of what else is going on. What else is going, my colleague has the right to know.
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“But I am using this thing to push power through the interface with the TCN and DISCOs. Because for years I have seen as one of your staff here, there was this blame game. This blame game of it is my fault, it is your fault, switch your feeder, I switch my feeder, take your transformers, I will take care of my transformer; your relay is not working.
He said, “This is indirect infighting in the sector. And everybody was casting blames.” He added that in order to address the squabble, “the NERC Commission under my Chairmanship, said you are the Chairman, run this. So they selected some engineers to work with me and that is how we invited the DISCOs and TCN for a whole week discussion.
Earlier, the Managing Director of AEDC, Engr. Ernest Mupwaya, had through his presentation acquainted the management of the regulatory agency with the challenges the company was facing in the areas of ATC/C losses, reconfiguration of the network, and revenue collections, especially from the unmetered customers.
While revealing the numbers of customers metered under the CAPMI and MAP, Engr. Mupwaya however commended the Federal Government efforts over the ongoing National Mass Metering Programme, which according to him, will usher in a lot of stability in the system.
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