Energy Briefs
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THE Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, has introduced a new regulation to guard Nigeria’s budding electricity industry from harmful expatriate exploitation. This is to ensure that the sector is not exploited like some other sensitive and important sectors of the Nigerian economy with huge capital investments but little contributions to the Gross Domestic Product, GDP.
The law, entitled “Regulation on National Content Development for the Power Sector”, was reportedly developed by NERC in December 2014. Amongst other objectives, it seeks to help Nigerians and native operators gain some level of advantage in the operations of the privatised electricity market.
NERC at the inauguration of an 11-man advisory board that would manage the deployment and use of the regulation in every facet of the power sector explained that the law was a part of the National Electric Power Policy, NEPP, of 2001. It, however, noted that its intents are not to nationalise the operations of the sector but create good opportunities for Nigeria to benefit from the contributions of the sector to her national GDP.
Sam Amadi, chairman, NERC, said at the inauguration that the regulation envisages that Nigerian companies would be given first-hand considerations for the supply of goods, works and services in the power sector. Amadi noted that the board which would be funded by the commission to undertake its responsibilities will operate in advisory capacity with membership from relevant industry operators and other stakeholders with background in fabrication; engineering; finance services, legal and insurance; information and communication technology; as well as education and training.
He explained that even though the sector currently has a balanced manpower in terms of indigenous participation, the new board would from its Joint Qualification System, JQS, develop an acceptable local content benchmark for operators in the sector, adding that local manufacturing and sourcing of consumer electricity meters would be accorded immediate priority by the commission and the board.
“This regulation flows from the federal government’s policy on local content first enunciated in the National Electric Power Policy (NEPP) of 2001 which mandates the regulator to ensure local content in the electricity market in Nigeria.”
— Dec 14, 2015 @ 14:40 GMT
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