The Federal Government says it is committed to offering Nigerians with various energy options to make power supply available and affordable.
Louis Edozien, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Works and Housing said this at a one-day stakeholders’ workshop on “Eligible Consumer Regulation’ in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Eligible Consumer Regulation is aimed at giving other energy providers a window to supply power to consumers other than the Distribution Companies.
Edozien said that the ECR was the effect of a policy direction of the present government which Babatunde Fashola’s led ministry unveiled in May, 2017.
He explained that energy consumers would now have the option to switch to any other energy licensee if they were not satisfied with the service rendered by DISCOS.
He said: “This policy and ECR empower you to have other licensee if you are not satisfied with the services by distribution companies.
“It is disheartening that after two years of unveiling this policy, many energy providers have not keyed into this project.
“The National Electricity Regulatory Commission must be on the driver’s seat to create enabling environment in the value chain of the industry.
“Regulation is made for man, man is not made for regulation, therefore, any good regulation without beneficiary is a bad regulation.”
The permanent secretary also frowned at the idea of government paying to Generating Companies, pointing out that it was no longer sustainable.
He said that the GENCOS should not expect government to pay for power generated anymore.
Edozien also urged DISCOS to do everything possible to satisfy their customers, adding that if consumers were happy, they won’t take advantage of the ECR.
He noted that the ECR was not meant to dispossess DISCOS, rather to create health competition in energy market.
According to him, policy of this nature is to ensure power is delivered to consumers, hence customers should also pay for the services to avoid being shut down.
Prof. James Momoh, the Chairman of NERC said that 44 interest groups were ready to key into the ECR.
Momoh explained that ECR market would supply power to consumers directly.
He said that it would also provide a lower cost energy supply which would be in modular size, renewable, solar or hydro power supply.
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