61.26% of 12.6m registered Nigeria’s electricity customers UNMETERED in Q2,2022 – Report 

Oredola Adeola

A total of 7,744,090 out of 12,643,630 estimated registered electricity customers in Nigeria, representing 61.26%, were unmetered in the second quarter of 2022, as only 4,898,721 representing 38.74% of the estimated population, were metered by all the distribution companies (DisCos) between April and June.

This was revealed in the second quarter 2022 report recently released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), analysed by EnergyDay.

According to the report, a total of 167,956 meters were installed in 2022/Q2 compared to the 85,510 meters installed in 2022/Q1. By comparison, the net metering rate increased from 37.79% metering in March 2022 to 38.74% in June 2022.

NERC in the report revealed that the meter installations increased compared to 2022/Q1 despite the winding down of the National Mass Metering Program (NMMP) phase 0, as a result of the uptake of the MAP metering scheme by most DisCos.

A further breakdown of the unmetered and metered figure of registered electricity customers showed that Abuja metered 675,000 customers, reducing the population of unmetered customers to 452,000 out of 1,127,000 registered customers as at Q2,2022. By ratings AEDC’s performance ratings stood at 61.09 percent in the period under review.

Eko Electricity Distribution company (EKEDC) with a total of 654,000 registered customers as at Q2,2022, earned 55.05% in its metering performance having installed and metered 360,000 customers, and retaining about 314,000 customers still unmetered under its network.

Ikeja Electric (IE) however came third with a metering performance rating of 52,89%, having metered about 687,000 customers, leaving the number of unmetered customers at 611,000, out of 1,298,00 total registered customers under its network.

Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company with a total of 2,141,000 registered customers as of Q2,2022, earned a performance rating of 38.67%, having metered only 828,000 customers, leaving about 1,313,000 customers unmetered.

Benin Electricity Distribution Company, with a total of 1,653,000 registered customers, earned metering ratings of 37.93 percent, having metered 628,000 customers and leaving about 1,025,000 customers unmetered.

Port Harcourt DisCo metered only 426,000 customers, with about 753,000 customers unmetered out of 1,179,000 total registered customers as of Q2,2022. The DisCo therefore earned 36.12% as its metering performance in the period under review.

Enugu DisCo with a registered customers of 1,667,000 earned 33.59 %, having metered only 56,000, leaving an estimate of 1,107,000 customers unmetered as of Q2,22.

Jos DisCo as of Q2,22, metered only 219,000 customers out of 696,000 registered customers in its network, leaving about 477,000 customers yet unmetered in the period under review.

Kaduna DisCo with a total registered customers of 819,000, as at Q2,22 metered only 193,000 customers to earn 23.55 percent, with about 626,000 customers yet unmetered in the period under review.

Kano earned 22.52%, having metered only 199,000 in the period under review, out of 885,000 registered electricity customers. Leaving about 686,000 customers unmetered.

Yola Electricity Distribution Company recorded the lowest performance rating with 17.72 % out of a total registered customer of 475,000.

Based on the analysis above, NERC promised to continue to engage relevant stakeholders to ensure month-on-month increments in metering rate while instituting safeguards against overbilling of unmetered customers (by setting maximum limits to the amount of energy that may be billed to an unmetered customer every month).

While efforts are being made to close the metering gap, Sunday Oduntan, executive director, of research and advocacy at the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), the umbrella body for the DisCos, had in a recent interview confirmed that NERC has approved the third-party meter suppliers (meter manufacturers) to be able to step in and supply meters.

According to him, customers can approach their DisCos and apply for a meter under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP), adding that they would be metered, usually within 15 days.

He also noted that those customers can pay for a meter under the MAP scheme, will be amortised and refunded over a 36-month period via energy credit.