Eko Disco spends N11 billion on maintenance

Eko Electricity Distribution Plc (EKEDC) has expended over N11 billion on maintenance, reinforcement of its networks and metering.

This, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Eko Electricity Distribution Company, Oladele Amoda, said is expected to improve collection efficiency and ensure efficient service delivery to customers.

Speaking during the courtesy visit by the Acting Director-General of Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Vincent Onome Akpotaire, Amoda said that the DISCO is currently rolling out smart metering technology with over 41, 000 customers, while the installation of the CAPMI meters is still on-going with the gradual winding down of the scheme.

He disclosed that the company with a customer population of 446, 200 is currently being allocated 11 per cent of generation output (less international customers) from the grid in line with provisions of MYTO II order.

He said this currently ranges from about 250 Mega Watts (MW) to 350MW, which is about 500MW lower than the DISCO’s estimated suppressed demand.

He explained that to meet the shortfall in the power allocation, EKEDC is in the “process of leveraging embedded generation to urgently improve supply to major load centers.”

He said the aim of the EKEDC is to increase available power within a shorter time to meet suppressed demand.
Amoda further disclosed that EKEDC has an existing bilateral agreement with Paras Energy and Natural Resources Development Limited (Paras Energy) for the supply of 40MW. He added that the DISCO’s goal is to provide at least 1200MW stable supply to its customers within its network by the end of 2018.

Akpotaire commended the new owners of EKEDC on the initiatives taken to improve the quantity, quality and reliability of power supply to customers within its network despite the shortfall in power allocation from the national grid.

He said the initiative by the electricity distribution company (DISCO) to source for supplementary power through embedded generation options, by ramping up excess power from existing captive generation within its license area and entering into bilateral agreements with independent power providers would not only guarantee greater stability of supply but also reduce the DISCO’s Aggregate Technical, Commercial and Collections Loss (ATC&C).

The BPE Boss, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Post Privatisation Monitoring Department, Leo Ene, led the Bureau’s team in continuation of periodic post-privatisation monitoring activities of the privatised PHCN successor companies, enjoined the DISCO to improve on metering its customers.