Local firms can produce 150,000 meters monthly – Manufacturer

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mommas Systems Nigeria Limited, Dr. Kolawole Balogun, has said local manufacturers can produce about 150,000 electricity meters monthly.

He listed Mommas Engineering Meters Manufacturing Company Limited, Mojek, Unistar, EMCON and Sweden Nigeria Limited as some of the Nigeria-based engineering companies manufacturing meters, including smart-meters for effective electricity distribution and consumption in Nigeria.

According to Balogun, MEMMCOL has a capacity of producing 50,000 per month while other companies can do 20,000 per month each.

“Nigeria already has local manufacturers of meters that can produce close to 150,000 meters monthly. But there is low patronage from the government and the electricity boards of the land presently.”

He stressed the need for the government to enact an enabling law to enhance the patronage of locally manufactured meters and products, invest heavily in the sector and through its organs, ascertain that the products met international standards.

He said, “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 distribution companies, routed through power transformers. However, most current transformers in place cannot withstand the amount of power or energy required by the consumers.”

Balogun said the power sector privatisation would have to be reviewed to limit the role of the Discos to power distribution up to the transformer point at one-end and allow electricity marketing companies to take it from there to the consumers.

He said the Discos had been overwhelmed and over-powered by the present roles of distribution and marketing.

“The marketing companies should not be organs of the Discos, but interdependent and government-approved/accredited. The marketers, therefore, will be in a symbiotic relationship with the manufacturers of meters for supply, installation and monitoring.

“The local manufactures and the marketers, through increased capacity production to meet the local demand can employ tens of millions of Nigerian youths and professionals. Infact, licences should be given to more companies, after accreditation in order to flood the market with enough and quality meters and smart meters,” he said.

He said local and foreign investors would be encouraged to put more funds in the power sector to improve its fortunes.

“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.”