By Kingsley Okoye
Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), says its directive to distribution companies
NEMSA’s Managing Director, Mr Peter Ewesor said this in a document made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.
NAN reports that given NEMSA’s mandate, no electrical networks, installation along the power value chain, other places in Nigeria can be put in place and into use without first being inspected, tested and certified fit for use.
In the same vein, no electrical installation contractor or technician is permitted to carry out electrical work in Nigeria unless he has been dully certified by NEMSA and issued a competency certificate.
Ewesor said DisCos had been directed to note that they would be liable should electrical issues occur in premises which are under or within ROW of power lines that the DisCos are supplying electricity to.
According to him, DisCos that are not complying with the directives are to be sanctioned.
Ewesor listed the number of disconnections of premises built under ROW of power lines to include: Abuja 0, Benin 74, Eko 0,Enugu 0,Ibadan 607,Ikeja,100,Jos 99,Kaduna 11,Kano 2, PortHarcourt 352, while Yola had 0 respectively.
On inspection and certification of new electrical and power supply projects within the period, he said the agency inspected and tested 2,960, with 1,994 certified for use while 695 were uncertified.
He said 899 existing networks and power systems were also monitored and evaluated, adding that 313 of the networks were resolved for use while 586 were unresolved.
The managing director said impact of the inspection and certification was resulting in improve network stability, reliability safety of lives and property and had minimised usage of substandard materials on the network.
He said affected DisCos were compelled to restore the bad networks to the required standard and specification,adding that the inspection had also resulted in the reduction of technical losses within the networks.
On testing of meters before installation by DisCos, Ewesor said the agency tested 67,321 meters at its national meter testing stations at Oshodi,Port-Harcourt and Kaduna noting that that 67,292 meters were approved.
He said the testing and certification of meters had ensured that meters deployed meet the Nigerian metering code version 02 and other relevant standard accuracy specifications.
He also said the measure was to ensure that customers get meters that give them value for energy they consume via proper accountability of energy produced, delivered and utilised .
Ewesor, who is also the Chief Electrical Inspector of the Federation also said NEMSA also inspected the facilities of 71 concrete pole manufactures within the period under review.
He said 31 was certified while 40 was uncertified, adding that the inspection was to ensure deployment of only standard electric concrete poles and ultimately ensure safety of lives and property.
The managing director said the agency had banned the indiscriminate use of 33KV primary feeder lines supplying 33/11KV injection substation for point loads, especially where 11KV supply networks exists.
Other enforcement of policy directives by NEMSA in the period under review according to Ewesor includes:Enforcement notice on the use of only 150mm2 ACSR minimum size for 33KV primary feeder lines to injection substations.
“Banning of the use of untreated wooden poles, untreated wooden and ungalvanised among other enforcement.” (NAN)
