In a bid to improve the quantum and quality of power being supplied to customers, the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), said it seeks to engage power generation companies within Nigeria and elsewhere that specialised in embedded generation. The company said the objective behind the move was aimed at solving the current problem associated with limitations of single power supply from Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) in its franchise states. In addition to this, it disclosed that in furtherance of its mandate of ensuring power availability in communities spend across it’s operational areas which were without power for a long period or yet to be connected to the National grid.
To this extent, the firm further noted that over 48 communities across it’s operational states have been connection to the grid as at October last year. Mrs. Funke Osinbodu, Managing Director of the firm, who stated this at a media briefing Friday, noted that the power generation companies involved in the embedded or off national grid is to augment shortfalls as several companies have applied and progress is being made in the process. Represented by Abel Enechiaza, Chief State Head of BEDC, Osinbodu pointed out that in doing so, the company would fix/clear faults escalated through complaints promptly which would continue the firm’s cardinal focus to supply electricity to its customers. On Metre Assets Provided (MAP) update, the BEDC Chief Executive Officer, pointed out that in October last year, the distribution firm launched the MAP scheme with a view to closing the metering gap for its customers, adding that it was against this premise that “we unbundle the process and introduced Neighborhood Fast Track scheme for customers who are ready to pay for the cost of metre.” According to her, “the metering process is subsumed under a tree tier process in all the location it operates.” She explained that while the first tier involved Saturday fast track for full payment for metre, the second and third tier, involved business unit continuous daily comprehensive special metering desk for walk in customers and door to door comprehensive registration, and metering based on transformer by transformer respectively. On the request by Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to Discos to transit to cashless platform for industrial and commercial customers by January 31. 2020 and R3 customers to move by March 30, the said BEDC boss said already the distribution company has began the complying such with the directives by developing a robust payment system option channels for its customers through POS agents, Interswitch platforms, ATM, banks as well as cash office.
