Electricity meters won’t go round until 2014 – NERC

Agitations by many consumers of electricity to have meters to correctly record their consumption may continue for some time to come, as the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has said total metering of all consumers in the country will not be possible until the next 18 to 20 months.

The Federal Government has also started talking to traditional rulers across the country to support the new electricity tariff billed to commence on June 1.

The government is also working on standardised estimated billing for electricity consumers who may not be provided with billing meters by the Power Holding Company of Nigeria.

The Executive Chairman, NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi, ruled out the possibility of providing meters to all electricity customers in the country before a period of 18 to 20 months.

He, however, said the attainment of the 18 to 20 months target would depend on availability of funds and the volume of work needed to be done.

The Federal Government had last week directed the full deployment of prepaid meters, which it said, must be provided free to consumers nationwide within a maximum period of 18 months.

Admitting that there were finance challenges in providing meters for all before the take-off of the new tariff regime on June 1, Amadi told one of our correspondents on the telephone on Monday that only 50 per cent of electricity consumers currently had meters.

“It is impossible to get everyone metered before the commencement of the new tariff, for instance. Where is the money? It is not possible,” he said.

Amadi, however, said the regulatory agency was working on standardising estimated billing for customers who did not have meters.

According to him, the standardised estimated billing will go for approval before it is rolled out for implementation along with the new metered tariff on June 1.

Source