Active electricity customers hit 11.96m in August – NERC

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has reported that the total number of active electricity customers across all eleven Distribution Companies (DisCos) rose from 11.89 million in July to 11.96 million in August 2025.

The figures were revealed in NERC’s latest Metering Factsheet for July and August 2025, released via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday.

“Out of these, 6.58 million customers were metered, resulting in a metering rate of 55.01 percent, up slightly from 54.71 percent in July. A total of 70,888 customers were newly metered in August, compared to 76,783 in July, reflecting ongoing metering efforts across the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI),” the regulator stated.

NERC said the improved metering figures reflect ongoing reforms and investments in customer management by DisCos, aimed at enhancing billing transparency and consumer trust.

Eko, Ikeja, and Abuja DisCos were highlighted as the top performers in metering coverage nationwide. Eko DisCo recorded a metering rate of 84.25 percent, Ikeja DisCo 84.83 percent, while Abuja DisCo stood at 73.92 percent. “These utilities continue to set performance benchmarks for other DisCos still struggling to achieve significant coverage within their franchise areas,” NERC added.

To accelerate the metering process, NERC recently approved N28 billion under Tranche B of the Meter Asset Financing (MAF) Scheme to enable DisCos to procure and install meters for unmetered Band A and Band B customers. The Commission noted that the funds are specifically targeted at closing the metering gap among premium customers, ensuring accurate billing and reducing estimated billing disputes.

Industry experts have identified the metering deficit, which currently affects nearly half of electricity consumers, as a major factor undermining transparency in Nigeria’s power sector. Unmetered customers often face arbitrary or estimated billing, leading to frequent complaints and poor revenue collection for DisCos.

Earlier, NERC reported that DisCos installed a total of 225,631 meters in the second quarter of 2025, marking a 20.55 percent increase compared to 187,161 meters in the first quarter. Of these, 147,823 units (65.52 percent) were deployed under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) framework, 65,315 meters under the Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF) scheme, 12,259 meters through the Vendor Financed framework, and 234 meters under the DisCo Financed scheme.

Despite this progress, NERC noted that as of June 2025, only 6,422,933 out of 11,821,194 active registered customers in NESI had been metered.

In April, NERC penalised eight DisCos, including Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), Ikeja Electric (IKEDC), Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC), Kaduna Electric, Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO), and Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC), for failing to adhere to the monthly energy caps imposed on estimated billing for unmetered customers. The Commission imposed a combined fine of over N628 million on the companies and directed each to provide credit adjustments to all affected customers.