Metering: PHED distributes, installs 77,000 meters in franchise area

PORT HAR COURT ELEC TRICITY DIS TRIBUTION PLC (PHED), one of the 11 distribution companies (DisCos) in the country, has begun distributing and installing 77,000 electricity prepaid meters in its franchise areas of Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River states, the company said. The scheme comes under the government’s electricity industry regulatory policy through Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (NERC) meter asset provide (MAP) scheme.

According to Livingston Koko of the corporate communications department, the meters of different metering schemes were the first batch allocated to customers in PHED’s franchise areas.

The initial metering scheme in the country, Meter Asset Provider (MAP), which runs concurrently with the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) was launched in August 2019.

MAP is operated by invention dependent entities licensed by the NERC to provide metering services which may include meter procurement, supply, installation, maintenance, and replacement.

MAP was introduced to specifically eliminate arbitrary estimated billing through accelerated meter rollout.

Under the MAP scheme, customers can purchase their meters by either making upfront payment or by instalments with an amortization plan; and are metered within 10 working days from the date of payment.

However, on November 1, 2020, the federal government initiated the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP), an intervention scheme geared towards covering the metering gap nationwide.

PHED said, it was in accordance with the Federal Government’s schedule on the distribution of meters that it is rolling out the 77,000 first batch of meters to its customers in its franchise areas.

The exercise (distribution and installation) is being caried out in accordance with workplans agreed with the NERC.

Meanwhile, the DisCos are awaiting further directives from NERC regarding the cost implication.