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SkyRun Meter Solution, a Chinese company, has completed plans to establish an electricity smart-meter in the Free Trade Zone, in Calabar, Cross River State. This development was one of the fruitful results of several Memoranda of Understanding, MoU, signed between the ministry of power and some Chinese companies since the successful privatisation of the power sector by the outgoing administration.

Godknows Igali, permanent secretary, ministry of power, disclosed this while receiving the company’s management team in his office. He expressed delight that establishing the metering company in Nigeria would enhance revenue generation for distribution companies thereby curtailing the incidence of estimated billing as being experienced by the electricity customers in many parts of the country.

Igali urged SkyRun, which has been in Nigeria for 10 years to collaborate with Distribution Companies, Discos, to meet their specifications as the Discos are distributors to the end users. He also directed the company to get appropriate license from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, and the Electricity Management Service for safety standard and specification as dictated by law.

He decried the situation where about 60 percent of customers are not metered, noting that manufacturing meters in Nigeria would significantly close the metering gap and create employment opportunities for the teaming youths, while also enabling investors re-coup their investment as planned.  He further revealed that this administration would give more incentives to local manufacturers to encourage them to establish more companies for the production of metres in the country.

He expressed appreciation for the invaluable contribution of the Nigerian Embassy in China, for wooing investors into the Nigerian power sector, saying that posterity would acknowledge their patriotism in this regard. He also commended the Nigeria – China Business Council, NCBC, for its efforts in establishing the metre company in Nigeria.

— May 25, 2015 @ 01:00 GMT

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