FG to receive first batch of 3.2m meters in April
Meters
By Constance Athekame
The Federal Government says it is set to receive the first batch of 3.205 million meters in April, procured to bridge the metering gap in the country.
The Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, said this in a statement by his Special Adviser, Strategic Communications and Media Relations, Mr Bolaji Tunji in Abuja on Sunday.
Adelabu said that 75,000 meters under the International Competitive Bid 1 (ICB1) were also expected by the end of April.
According to the minister the second batch of 200,000 meters will also be received in May.
He said that the Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP) was set to deliver the 3.2 million meters by 2026.
“This will be achieved through different procurement models, including 1.437 million meters through International Competitive Bid 1 (ICB1).
”There is another 217,600 meters through National Competitive Bid (NCB), and 1.550 million meters through International Competitive Bid 2 (ICB2), ” Adelabu said. .
According to him, as part of this plan, the first batch of 75,000 meters under ICB1 is expected by April, followed by the second batch of 200,000 meters in May.
”In addition to the DISREP, the N700 billion Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI) is another key intervention designed to accelerate metering,”he said.
The minister said that the PMI, which had already secured N700 billion from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), was structured to ensure large-scale meter procurement and deployment.
He said that a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) had been established to oversee the implementation of the initiative.
”While challenges persist, the facts tell a more balanced story; one of sustained effort, financial commitment, and structured implementation plans by the Federal Government to close the metering gap.
”Despite claims of stagnation, metering installations have been progressing steadily.
”As at Dec.2024, a total of 5.502 million customers had been metered, representing about 55 percent of the 10.114 million active electricity customers in the country,”he said.
He said that In 2024 alone, 572,050 meters were installed.
According to him, though installation rates have varied over the years, the sector maintains a yearly average of about 668,000 meters installed.
He said that structured financing and government-backed initiatives were expected to accelerate deployment beyond the current pace, ensuring that the metering gap is addressed efficiently.
He said that to bridge the meeting gap, the government had put in place key initiatives aimed at significantly improving metering across the country.
“The government had set a target of deploying two million meters annually for five years, with the first batch of two million meters expected to be released by the third quarter of this year.
”These structured interventions provide a clear roadmap for addressing the metering gap in an effective and sustainable manner”.
“While the metering gap remains a concern, the notion that it will take over a decade to resolve is misleading,” he said.
He said that with the ongoing DISREP and PMI initiatives, Nigeria’s metering landscape was set to experience significant improvement before the end of the year.
”The focus should be on the execution of these well-structured plans rather than a blanket critique that overlooks the real progress being made,”he said.(NAN)(www.nannews ng)
Edited by Modupe Adeloye/Kadiri Abdulrahman
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