PHCN Demands N820 Million To Fix Faulty Panels In Ikeja Zone

Chief Executive Officer of Ikeja PHCN Distribution Zone, Mr Chris Akamnonu, has confirmed that the zone requires over N820 million to replace about 14 faulty panels.

Akamnonu alongside members of the House Committee on Power visited the zone in Lagos on Wednesday.

He explained that under-funding by government was one of the major challenges confronting electricity distribution in the zone, adding that some of the panels and outstation equipment like the 33KV and 11 KV switch gears as well as the conductors were obsolete.

Akamnonu said that there were also constraints of power evacuation in about 14 injection substations due to unserviceable panels, adding that 25.5 per cent of installed facilities were faulty, according to media reports.

“The zone requires about N820 million to replace all faulty panels and obsolete equipment.

“Government needs to urgently intervene through funding to put the zone in better shape, while preponderance of undersized conductor is still a major challenge,” he said.

Beyond the funds needed to replace faulty panels, the PHCN officer said that the zone also requires N12 billion to achieve effective metering of customers on pre-paid meter, adding that metering to about 389,126 customers was being vigorously pursued.

According to news reports, revenue from customers on prepaid meters exceeds revenue from customers with credit meters.

Akamnonu also complained of low budgetary allocations for 2009 and said of the N567.86 earmarked for the zone this year, only N331.86 million had been released.

He said that the zone would commence its unique customer care initiative, called “IKEJACARE”, by 2012, saying it was another way of interfacing with customers.

Akamnonu said the zone would focus more on re-engineering of existing metering and revenue protection, while ICT-driven customer-care facilities would be made fully operational.

“Tariff reclassification and energy audit will be top priority in investment consideration.

“Commercial efficiency and profitability will continue to receive desired attention so that derivable benefits will continue to accrue,” he said.