Indigenous manufacturers raise bar for smart meter production

. Increase monthly capacity to 150,000
.Calls on government to enact law on patronage of made-in-Nigeria goods

Indigenous smart meter manufacturers, Mommas Engineering Meters Manufacturing Company Limited (MEMMCOL), MOJEK International, UNISTAR High Tech Limited, Electricity Meters Company of Nigeria (EMCON) and SWEDEN Nigeria Limited, Nigerian-based engineering companies have increased their monthly capacity utilisation to over 150,000.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of MEMMCOL, Dr. Kolawole Balogun, disclosed that the company has a capacity to produce 50,000 per month while the other companies can produce 20, 000 each per month.

Balogun said that the capacity has been underutilized due to very low patronage from the government and the electricity boards presently.
He called on the government to promulgate an enabling law to enhance the patronage of locally manufactured meters and products, invest heavily in the sector and through its regulatory authorities, ascertain that these products meet international standards.

He stated: “The basic function of an electricity board is the effective and constant distribution of electric power to the consumers, and not the distribution of bills (or estimated bills). Technically speaking, power transmission companies have enough electricity to supply to the consumers through the DISCOs, routed through power transformers. However, most current transformers in place cannot withstand the amount of power or energy required by the consumers.

“Power sector “re-privatization” may have to be tabled again, wherein DISCOs role is limited to power distribution up to the transformer-point (at one-end) and allow for electricity marketing companies (EMC) to take it from there to the consumers. So, DISCO ensures that power transmission is always and effectively delivered to the connecting transformers, while EMC ensures that the power is effectively distributed to the consumers (metered for billings and feedbacks). DISCO has been overwhelmed and over-powered by the present roles of distribution and marketing.

“The marketers, therefore, will be in a symbiotic-relationship with the manufacturers of meters for supply, installation and monitoring (maintenance). Meanwhile, employment opportunities for the teeming population of Nigeria is hereby created”.

He said that local manufacturers should be listed or gazetted by government or appropriate government organ for the purpose of regulation as soon as the divulgence of distribution and marketing is done.

He noted that through increased capacity production to meet the local demand, meter manufacturers can employ millions of Nigerian youths and professional.

He called on the need to issue licences to more companies, after accreditation in order to flood the markets with enough and quality meters and smart meters.

“Investors here and abroad will begin to look into the power sector to stock it with much more funds than we presently have. With time, Nigeria will run an efficient, steady-state power sector to be envied.

“We can migrate in progression to include the manufacturing of power transformers of higher standard and quality than what is obtainable abroad. If we start with meters now, we will get to transformers soon. Let the Government (FG especially) throw the first shot, the local manufacturers are “all hands on deck” to deliver.

“Our management, professionals and team of engineers are poised to receiving Government Delegation for a state-of-the-art tour of our installed manufacturing facilities at our ultra-modern factory”, he added.