Association of Electricity Distribution Companies (ANED), while commending the recent federal governments N701 billion intervention fund for the generating companies (GenCos), has advised that the intervention be extended to all three sectors in the value chain if the dream of incremental and stable power in the country is to be realised.Speaking during an interactive section with newsmen in Abuja, the Executive Director of the association, Mr Sunday Oduntan however described the intervention as a drop in the ocean, considering the enormity of the liquidity burden on the sector, and partial on grounds that you cannot take care of the upstream and neglect the plight of the others in the value chain.Oduntan who commended in particular the Hon. Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, SAN, for his dogged commitment to fixing the sector for the benefit of all Nigerians, said his members (the DisCos) requested that the federal government urgently empower the entire value chain to make the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) commercially viable.He said attention should not be shifted from the about N1 trillion shortfall already on ground, adding timely management of that deficit is the best way to go for the industry to move forward.He also cautioned that the N701 billion should not be put on the DisCos book like previous interventions such as that of the CBN whose burdens were placed on the subsector with which it is still grappling to pay, adding We are already carrying more than enough of such burdens that are not wholly ours and can bear no more.Mr Oduntan equally wants the federal government to increase its investment in the transmission company of Nigeria (TCN) and reorientate the NEPA-converted staff of TCN to make them realise that the industry now has business at the centre of its operations, urging them to work as such.TCN, the custodian of the national grid, is a government owned firm in the chain, sandwiched by the GenCos (upstream) and the DisCos (downstream).While imploring customers nationwide pay their bills and stop stealing energy in the interest of improved supply, the ANED boss also requested that the National Assembly gives consideration to passing an anti-energy-theft legislation to be handled by mobile courts that would prosecute offenders publickly on the spot, thus serving as a deterrent to other intending energy cheats.On the incessant power outages and load shedding, Oduntan, who attributed it to TCNs under-capacity, however said TCN cannot be blamed because it can only work with the tool given to it by its owner (government).What we are saying is that TCNs low capacity makes it difficult for it evacuate and wheel enough power. There is serious capacity constraint and transmission bottlenecks all around the country because TCN is operating with dysfunctional and outdated infrastructure. We the DisCos cannot do our job effectively when TCN facilities are defective, he said.Recall that the management of the Egbin Power Plant which is the foremost contributor to the energy pool-the grid to the tune of 300 MWs, has recently again threatened a shut-down due to nonpayment of over N100 billion owed it and alleged nonperformance of TCN.He said as a result of the transmission bottleneck as well as deliberate act of nonpayment of bills in some areas, it became foolhardy to receive energy for such areas and pay for it when it is actually glaring that even if you receive, such areas cannot get the light due to transmission bottleneck.And TCN is fond of transmitting energy to where its failing facilities can manage a transmission, of which we may not be able to supply customers effectively due to these factors mentioned, then the same TCN would turn round to accuse the DisCos of rejecting load as is currently being peddled in the media.It is simple logic; supply the load where it is needed and useful to me, and I collect, or else, I wouldnt, because I am the one to pay for it.TCN should tell their employers the truth, he explained.Asked whether he has communicated his observations to the appropriate authorities, Oduntan said another serious challenge the subsector is facing is that ANED which is merely an association and, not a union, to represent the interest of all the investors downstream has been barred from attending the monthly stakeholders meeting by the Hon. Minister whom he said was ill-advised by some top officials in the ministry.We attended up to eight meetings. It was during the nineth one at Sokoto that we were thrown own out and banned from further attendance.It was after that that we made public the issue of the MDAs debts to the DisCos and they came out to say were blackmailing the government, he said.
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