- The Nigerian government has awarded contracts for installing 1,437,500 smart meters nationwide to address the 7.1-million-meter gap in the electricity sector.
- The project, funded by a $500 million World Bank facility, involves companies like Ningbo Sanxing and XJ Group.
The federal government of Nigeria has secured contracts with several companies to provide and install 1,437,500 intelligent meters across the country. The initiative, coordinated through the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and electricity distribution companies (DisCos), aims to address the significant meter gap in Nigeria’s electricity sector.
The project includes partnerships with companies such as Ningbo Sanxing Smart Electric, Messrs. XJ Group, and Ningbo Sanxing Medical and Electric. The signing ceremony for these contracts took place at the BPE headquarters in Abuja.
According to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), this effort is a vital component of the Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP), funded by a $500 million World Bank facility through the Investment Project Finance (IPF) arrangement.
Ajiboye Oluwagbenga, Executive Director of Transmission Service Provider at TCN, emphasised the significance of this project, noting that it is a crucial step towards closing Nigeria’s 7.1 million-meter gap. This large-scale deployment of smart meters is expected to enhance the accuracy of electricity billing and improve overall efficiency in the distribution network.
In addition to the intelligent meter contracts, the federal government and various states have collectively raised N100 billion to acquire prepaid meters. This funding underscores the government’s commitment to modernising the country’s electricity infrastructure and addressing long-standing meter availability and accuracy issues.
In a related development, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) recently reminded consumers to update their meters by the November 2024 deadline. The commission warned that failure to comply with this deadline could result in consumers being unable to recharge their electricity. This notice aims to prompt electricity consumers to take the necessary actions to avoid disruptions in their power supply.
Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu highlighted the importance of this initiative in his statement on Tuesday, August 27, 2024. He expressed optimism that deploying smart meters will significantly benefit both consumers and the electricity sector. The new meters are expected to bring more transparency and reliability to electricity usage and billing, a persistent challenge in Nigeria’s power sector.
The installation of these smart meters represents a significant step towards improving Nigeria’s electricity infrastructure, aligning with broader efforts to reform and stabilise the sector. With these measures, the federal government aims to enhance service delivery and address the critical issues facing the nation’s power distribution network.