FG addressing meter gaps to stop estimated billings — Power Minister

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has said the Federal Government is addressing the issue of the meter gap in Nigeria to stop estimated billing and provide meters to more than six million Nigerians who are still without meters.

Adelabu revealed this at a forum tagged “Public Presentation of the National Integrated Electricity Policy (NIEP) and Nigeria Integrated Resource Plan (NIRP),” which was held on Thursday at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja. The event was organised by the Federal Ministry of Power, the United Kingdom Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility (UKNIAF), and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). It was attended by representatives from the Inter-Ministerial Power Sector Working Group, key industry stakeholders, private sector investors, donor partners, and other development agencies.

“We are addressing the meter gap because customers need to be metered to stop estimated billing. Over six million Nigerians are still without meters, but the good news is that we are expecting about three million meters to come into the country to bridge the gap. Eighty-six million Nigerians (37% of the population) still lack access to electricity, but about 150 million people have access to electricity.

“The DISCOs have refused to invest in this sector. We have to improve electricity, and we are focusing on DISCOs (Distribution Companies) this year to carry out reforms in the power sector. We must create an industry that is private-sector driven and create an avenue for them to exit when and if they want to.

“We have had an average capacity of 5,300MW from 4,200MW achieved in the previous year (2024). I can tell you that we generated and transmitted 5,570MW last month. No disturbance, no collapse. And I can tell you that the grid can still accommodate an additional 2,000MW of electricity, and this is a result of the Presidential Power Initiatives (PPI). Transmission capacity has improved. We’ve also had N700bn raised from the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) to implement the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI).

“Today marks a turning point in our nation’s energy landscape. The integration of the NIRP with our National Integrated Electricity Policy lays the foundation for transformative investments in generation, transmission, and distribution. This milestone secures our energy future and creates an enabling legal and regulatory environment that is highly conducive to both local and international private sector participation,” Adelabu said.

The Power Component Lead at UKNIAF, Engineer Frank Edozie, expressed the body’s support for the initiative.

“UKNIAF is proud to support this catalytic initiative. Our support in developing the IRP and NIEP underscores our commitment to Nigeria’s power sector reform and reinforces the country’s promise as a premier destination for sustainable energy investment.

“These strategic plans create a pathway for increased private sector participation by establishing a transparent, stable, and conducive environment for investments to drive growth and innovation across the power value chain,” Edozie said.

Nigerian Tribune reports that through strategic policy integration, the NIEP and NIRP reaffirm Nigeria’s commitment to evidence-based planning and sustainable energy development.

The event featured the presentation of NIEP, which was designed to guide Nigeria’s power sector towards universal electrification, inclusivity, and sustainability; the formal presentation of the NIRP 2024, a strategic roadmap to ensure least-cost electrification that aligns with Nigeria’s energy transition goals targeted to phase out self-generation practices; as well as a stakeholder engagement session with the private sector for proper collaboration to achieve maximum results and performance.

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