During a recent ministerial briefing in Abuja, Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, announced a groundbreaking initiative by the Federal Government aimed at addressing the metering gap in Nigeria’s electricity sector.
Adelabu revealed that the government plans to distribute a whopping 10 million meters to electricity consumers within the next five years as part of the Presidential Metering Initiative.
The initiative, designed to close the metering gap and curb the issue of estimated billing, is expected to see the provision of two million meters annually over the specified period. Adelabu emphasized the critical need to tackle the existing deficit, highlighting that out of over 12 million electricity customers, only slightly above five million are currently metered.
Furthermore, Adelabu disclosed that the ministry has recently concluded the bidding process for an additional 1.5 million meters, funded by the World Bank Distribution Support Recovery Programme, to bolster sector liquidity. Contracts for these meters are slated to be awarded to selected providers in the coming months.
In addition to addressing the metering challenge, Adelabu outlined other key initiatives in the power sector, including the rehabilitation of sub-stations and infrastructure enhancements under the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) – the SIEMENs Project.
He underscored the significant progress made in increasing grid evacuation capacity and the ongoing efforts to achieve stable power supply across the country.
With these strategic interventions, Minister Adelabu expressed optimism about the sector’s trajectory, highlighting achievements such as the recent milestone of generating 5,000 MW of power for the first time in three years. The government’s target of reaching 6,000 MW by year-end reflects its commitment to ensuring reliable electricity supply for all Nigerians.
