The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission,NERC,said eleven power distribution companies in Nigeria received
241,476 complaints from consumers in the second quarter of the year.
This indicates 1.91 per cent increased complaints than those received in the first quarter of 2021, according to the agency’s second quarter 2021 report.
The commission further noted that complaints bordering on metering were among the highest concerns recorded by Discos during the reviewed period.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission added that the number of unmetered power users across the country is now about 6.3 million.
It lamented the huge metering gap in Nigeria, describing it as a key challenge in the power sector.
It said:“The huge metering gap for end-use customers is still a key challenge in the industry. The records of the commission indicate that, of the 11,058,939 registered energy customers as at June 30, 2021, only 4,529,497 (40.95 per cent) have been metered.This implies that out of every 10 registered electricity customers, six are without meters; thus, they are on estimated billing.”
The commission had put in place a mechanism to prevent outrageous estimated billing of customer.
It added:“Using averages (of) three-month consumptions of metered customers on each feeder, maximum allowed energy consumption estimates were computed for each customer category and tariff band.Thus, for each class of customer on a feeder, an energy estimation cap is established to guide the Discos (distribution companies) and thus protect unmetered customers from being over charged while awaiting appropriate metering.”
