The federal government, through the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and electricity distribution companies, has signed a contract with Ningbo Sanxing Medical & Electric Co. Ltd, Ningbo Sanxing Smart Electric Co. Ltd, and XJ Group Corporation to supply and install 1,437,500 smart meters across Nigeria.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) revealed this in a statement posted on its X platform, stating that the agreement was formalised during a ceremony at the BPE headquarters in Abuja.
“The project is part of the Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP), funded by the World Bank’s $500 million facility through the Investment Project Finance (IPF) arrangement,” the statement read.
Read also: Electricity bills: AEDC urges customers to apply for prepaid meters
Speaking at the event, Sule Abdulaziz, the managing director of the TCN, represented by the Ajiboye Oluwagbenga, executive director, Transmission Service Provider, hailed the project as a critical move towards addressing Nigeria’s significant meter shortfall, estimated at 7.1 million units.
As at September 30, 2023, Nigeria’s metering gap stood at over 7 million – though reports suggest it could be more than that.
A report by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) shows that out of the total 12,825,005 registered electricity customers, only 5,707,838 have meters, indicating that over 7.1 million registered customers still are subjected to the estimated billing system.
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