The new tariffs approved for electricity
consumers across the country will become effective on Monday and will
enable the power distribution, generation and transmission companies to
acquire needed infrastructure, the acting Chairman of the Nigerian
Electricity Regulatory Commission, Dr. Anthony Akah, has said.
Akah, who said this when he led top
executives of the regulatory agency on a courtesy call on the National
Orientation Agency in Abuja on Thursday, also said there was no going
back on the new tariffs.
The NERC boss said the lack of
cost-reflective tariffs had hindered the electricity companies from
acquiring the necessary infrastructure, adding that with the new
tariffs, they would not have any excuse for not delivering on agreements
they entered into with the government.
He said the Nigerian power sector reform
must provide an appropriate pricing template, which had been lacking,
leading to deficiency in revenues from power.
This, he added, necessitated the new
Multi-Year Tariff Order to enable the generating, transmission and
distribution companies to provide the needed infrastructure for higher
generation and supply of electricity to meet the needs of consumers.
Akah said under the new MYTO, all
premises must be metered and consumers who subscribe to specific
metering models must be supplied meters within 60 days after which they
would not be disconnected or charged on estimation if a meter was not
supplied.
He also said that a Power Consumer
Assistance Fund had been put in place to cater for the electricity needs
of the less-privileged in the country, adding that the visit was part
of the establishment of a coordinated approach to creating public
awareness ahead of the February 1 implementation date of the new MYTO.
Punch
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