Electricity Company Offers Free Metre Upgrade After FG's Threats

• The Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) has said that its Unister metre upgrade is free for all consumers
• The company denied reports that its agents and employees charge money for the metre upgrades
• The development came as the FCCPC warned the company on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, to stop all activities regarding the replacement

Legit.ng’s Pascal Oparada has reported on tech, energy, stocks, investment and the economy for over a decade.

Following the Federal Competition Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) 's threats of sanctions, Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) has denied charging customers for the ongoing STS-2 metre upgrade, saying that the programme is free for its customers.

The development came as the FCCPC warned the company on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, to stop all activities regarding the replacement of Unistar metres.

EKEDC sets deadline for metre upgrade

The electricity company had earlier set a deadline for customers on its network to switch all metres to the STS-2 platforms so that they could continue recharging their metres.

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The company had disclosed that the STS-2 metre upgrade is free, and no customer can offer any financial gratification to anyone to grade their metres to the STS-2 platform.

FCCPC warns IE and EKEDC over bribery allegations

However, the FCCPC, in a statement, called for a stop to such activities.

FCCPC said:

“Our attention has been drawn to the activities of some unscrupulous members of the society demanding payment for the STS – 2-meter upgrade process.

The statement asked two DisCos, EKEDC and Ikeja Electric (IE), to cease all activities regarding the planned replacement of Unistar metres.

The commission disclosed that the order remains in place, and any attempt by EKEDC and IE to disregard it will attract severe penalties.

Vanguard reports that the agency disclosed that the replacement has been invalidated by the FCCPC and NERC, stating that there is no indication that the affected DisCos have violated its orders.

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KEDCO moves to protect critical customers

The development comes amid the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) plans to opt out of the national grid and build a 100MW safe grid to protect its consumers.

KEDCO disclosed that the grid will serve industries, commercial centres, and critical government infrastructure and eliminate the need to rely on the national grid.

The company disclosed that the move is due to the lingering challenges the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) faces in supplying power to its franchise. It says it is getting less than half of its allocation from the grid, disrupting its customers, institutions, and businesses and challenging its financial performance.

EKEDC announces new prices for single, three-phase metres

Legit.ng earlier reported that the new, deregulated metre prices for metres installed under the Metre Asset Provider (MAP) Scheme have been released by Eko Electricity Distribution Company (Eko Disco).

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The distribution firm revealed this on Friday in its official X account statement, which included the costs for single-phase and three-phase metres from six different MAP vendors.

Source: Legit.ng