The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has disclosed that a total of 148,389 meters were installed during Quarter 3, 2023. This indicates a decrease of 32,670 installations compared to the previous quarter, which saw 181,059 meters installed.

The commission’s report, released on its website, detailed that 147,736 meters were installed under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) framework, while an additional 207 meters were installed under the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP). Furthermore, NERC noted that the vendor-financed framework recorded 446 meter installations, while no meter installations occurred under the DisCo Financed framework.

NERC emphasized its expectation for Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) to make use of the five meter financing frameworks provided in the 2021 MAP and NMMP to address their individual metering gaps. Additionally, in order to shield customers from exploitation resulting from the absence of meters, the commission stated that it continues to issue monthly energy caps for all feeders in each DisCo. These caps establish the maximum amount of energy that may be billed to an unmetered customer for the respective month, based on the gross energy received by the DisCo and the consumption by metered customers.

This disclosure by NERC provides key insights into the state of meter installations in Nigeria’s electricity sector, shedding light on the ongoing efforts to enhance metering infrastructure and protect consumers from potential exploitation.