The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Power, has targeted the deployment of 1.3 million meters by the end of the second quarter of 2025 using the Nigeria Distribution Sector Recovery Program (DISREP).
Adebayo Adelabu, Minister of Power, made this known at the Nigeria Energy Leadership Summit on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, revealing that the first set would be delivered by the end of this year.
He said: “The DISREP program aims to install 3.2 million meters out of which 1.3 million meters have been procured with the first set of meters to be delivered by December 2024, while the balance will be delivered by the second quarter next year.
“This initiative will reduce estimated billing, enhance transparency, and improve sector liquidity by ensuring that energy consumers are fairly billed.”
The latest metering figures, released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), show that while efforts to reduce the metering gap are ongoing, millions of electricity consumers remain without meters, relying on the controversial estimated billing system.
According to NERC, metering by distribution companies (Discos) reached 672,539 meters, leaving the number of unmetered electricity customers at 7.3 million despite efforts by stakeholders in the Nigerian Power Sector.
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This development highlights the growing challenge of ensuring accurate billing and efficient power distribution across the country as the total number of registered electricity customers in Nigeria stands at over 13.16 million, with unmetered customers accounting for a significant portion.
The Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP) is a comprehensive initiative aimed at addressing the challenges and inefficiencies within Nigeria’s electricity distribution sector.
According to the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE), the programme is designed to improve the performance, financial viability, and service delivery of electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) to ensure a more reliable and sustainable power supply for consumers.
“DISREP’s object is to enhance the operations of the DisCos through capital investment and the financing of key components of their Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs), which have been approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC)” BPE stated.
Meanwhile, the minister stated that the federal government is prioritising local content development by promoting domestic production of energy components, creating jobs, and reducing reliance on imports.
“For emphasis, we have a mandate in place on the DISREP program that ensures at least 250,000 meters are procured from local manufacturers the procurement process for this batch is ongoing.
“We believe Nigerian businesses are central to our energy transformation and economic diversification goals. Furthermore, to achieve our partnerships with state governments in implementing State Electricity Markets and upholding a sustainable national energy security it is important that local capacity is strengthened,” Adelabu added.
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