TheCable

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) says it has approved 42 meter assets providers (MAPs) for the 11 electricity distribution companies (DisCos) in the country.

In 2018, the NERC introduced the MAP regulation to encourage new investments in the power sector, fast-track the roll-out of meters, and end the estimated billing regime.

In 2019, the commission issued permits to meter asset providers to begin the rollout of new prepaid meters.

According to the commission’s latest report, only 3.9 million of the registered 10.3 million subscribers in the country have prepaid meters.

On Tuesday, the NERC released the list of approved meter providers that will support the power distribution companies in reducing the huge metering gap in the country.

A breakdown showed that seven meter asset providers were each approved for Eko DisCo and Ibadan DisCo.

Five MAPs were each approved for Benin and Kano DisCos while Ikeja and Kaduna Discos got four meter service providers each.

Three meter providers were approved to distribute meters to consumers who receive power supply from the Abuja DisCo.

Two meter service providers each were approved for Enugu, Port Harcourt, and Yola DisCos while Jos DisCo got one meter service provider.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) had given the DisCos a target to close the metering gap by December 2021.

However, the electricity distribution companies said the 2021 target set for metering all customers is unrealistic.