NERC tasks DisCos to address power sector's challenges

The Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC Chairman Sanusi Garba, has urged investors and owners of Distribution Companies, DisCos, in the Nigerian electricity sector to take proactive steps to address the industry's challenges, rather than simply making excuses. 

During a meeting with stakeholders, Garba emphasized the need for innovative solutions and transformational ideas to drive positive change in the sector. He assured the investors of NERC's support and encouraged them to propose regulatory interventions that could facilitate rapid improvement in the sector.

On his part, the Chairman of Aba Power, Barth Nnaji, called for the use of AI to monitor meters.

He pointed out that no matter the level of bypass from metering, the meter is a key enabler to curb collection losses.

“Once you have metered, you can also invest in the intelligence to reduce infractions.”

While speaking on how metering and AI can improve performance in the sector, NERC’s Commissioner, Planning, Research and Strategy, Yusuf Ali, said the commission intends to create a regulatory environment that instils investor confidence.

NERC’s Commissioner, Legal, Licensing and Compliance, Dafe Akpeneye, lamented the misunderstanding of its role after issuing orders on states taking over electricity regulation in their states.

“People may be misunderstanding the Orders and think NERC doesn’t want to let go. Actually, we issue the Transition Orders shortly after we receive the requests. Once they take over, the state governments are 100% responsible for setting the regulations and the tariff in their states.”