Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has rolled out the distribution of prepaid meter for consumers in its franchise areas of FCT, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger states.
Mr Ernest Mupwaya, Managing Director of AEDC, said at the inauguration on Tuesday in Abuja that the project was under the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP).
Mupwaya said the NMMP was part of the Federal Government and DISCOs commitment to closing the metering gap that existed in Nigeria’s electricity supply industry.
He said that 900,000 meters would be installed for consumers in the next 18 months in its franchise areas.
He said AEDC would roll-out 101,000 meters before the end of the year as part of the first phase of the programme.
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“Over the years our company has been able to come up with initiatives aimed at closing the metering gaps such as the MAP and others with some levels of success.
“However, with this current programme, the company will be able to acquire 900,000 meters, not for new places only, but to replace those defective meters.
“Under the first phase which begins today up to end of December, we shall install 101,000 meters,” he said.
According to him, the NMMP would increase Nigeria’s metering rate, eliminate estimated billing and strengthen the local meter value chain.
The AEDC chief said this would also increase local meter manufacturing, assembly and deployment capacity.
He added that the initiative would also reduce collection losses and increase financial flows to achieve maximum market remittance obligations of the DISCOs.
Mupwaya explained that the meters would be produced locally to further boost Nigeria’s economic recovery by creating jobs in the local meter value chain.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NMMP is the Federal Government’s initiative to put an end to the problems of estimated billing in the electricity sector.
Part of the funding guidelines by the Federal Government is to ensure that all meters under the scheme will be locally sourced to create jobs through lead meter manufacturers in the country.
The NMMP is to roll out six million meters for all connection points on the grid without meters over the next 18 to 24 months and this is estimated to impact 30 million consumers nationwide.