NERC’s Smart Meter Initiative Is A Threat To Indigenous Firms

• The NERC claims that the move is a key strategy to discourage meter cloning and other forms of fraud against the electricity market in Nigeria.
• But some stakeholders have however indicated that the move is being made without consideration of its implication on local industries. Local meter manufacturers have also warned that the NERC is going about the initiative alone and without regard to the country’s local content law.
• The plan by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to deploy smart meters through the electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) is threatening huge investments made by indigenous meter manufacturers.
• In particular, the chairman, Momas Electricity Meter Manufacturing Company (MEMMCO), Mr Kola Balogun, expressed his displeasure and said that such steps will affect local businesses adversely as they had already made huge investments which were not being taken into consideration by the new policy.

Source: Leadership