State-owned electricity company Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM) every month has unpaid electricity supply bills of an estimated 150 million meticals (about US$2.4 million) the company’s spokesman said on Tuesday in Maputo.

Luís Amado, quoted by daily newspaper Notícias, said that part of that amount is left unpaid by some state institutions, which continue to use the invoicing system, which allows them access to electricity without paying in advance.

The spokesman did say how much the state institutions owed but noted that the situation has been going on for several years. The debtors include hospitals, schools and some medium voltage users, for which EDM has yet to start using pre-paid ‘Credelec’ meters.

Amado also said that EDM will continue to negotiate with the government to install Credelec meters in all state institutions, in order to avoid the accumulation of debts, despite recognising that in some cases the delayed payment is due to budgetary issues. (source: Macauhub)