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Armese pledges lifeline for MAPs grappling with local content requirement

Indigenous meter asset provider, Armese Power Solutions, has pledged its capacity to help Meter Asset Providers (MAP) newly engaged by the 11 distribution companies (DisCos) meet local content requirements for meter rollout in line with the Federal Government’s MAP regulation. The regulation specifies a mandatory local content threshold, which requires MAPs to source a minimum…

Indigenous meter asset provider, Armese Power Solutions, has pledged its capacity to help Meter Asset Providers (MAP) newly engaged by the 11 distribution companies (DisCos) meet local content requirements for meter rollout in line with the Federal Government’s MAP regulation.

The regulation specifies a mandatory local content threshold, which requires MAPs to source a minimum of 30 percent of contracted metering volumes from local manufacturers. However, some MAPs engaged by the DisCos for meter supply are reportedly struggling to fulfil this mandate following a dearth of reputable indigenous meter manufacturers to partner within Nigeria.

Imran Aslam Khokhar, CEO, Armese Consulting Limited and Armese Power Solutions, who was in Lagos recently to sign a Metering Service Agreement (MSA) with Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), however assured that Armese was equal to the task of helping MAPs plug this gap leveraging the expertise of its world class Akwa Ibom-based meter manufacturing facility, reputedly the largest in sub-Saharan Africa.

He said: “Our manufacturing subsidiary operating as Metering Solutions Manufacturing Services Limited (MSMSL) has the installed capacity to produce 3 million meters yearly on a multi-shift pattern. It is staffed by a team of seasoned professionals, on a ratio of 99 percent local to 1 percent foreign, who brings a pedigree of an unequalled competence to the table in the manufacture of world-class meter assets. Our product line includes single-phase and three-phase prepaid meters in various configurations and mountings as well as tamper-proof polycarbonate (PCB) meter box enclosures.”

Mr. Khokhar disclosed that the 20,580sqm manufacturing facility, launched by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and other top government functionaries in September 2017 had so far supplied over 200,000 meters to DisCos, and was set to produce a minimum of 175,000 meters catering to domestic and international requirements in the short run.

“Most recently, Armese also leveraged the quality of products manufactured by our subsidiary MSMSL to supply high-volume meter assets to the Liberia Electricity Company (LEC) for an ambitious electrification project funded by the United States of America through the Millennium Challenge Corporation. In effect, we are poised to help make the MAP scheme a success in Nigeria through the edge we have recorded in local content and encourage newly engaged MAPs experiencing this challenge to partner with us,” he added.

Armese recently scaled a competitive bid process to emerge one of the frontline MAPs engaged by PHED to roll out meter assets within its franchise area for a renewable 10-year time frame. PHED reportedly supplies power to over 14 million people cutting across Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom. EKEDC is responsible for the distribution and sale of electricity in southern Lagos and Agbara, Ogun State.

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