Estimated billing keeping power sector short of cash – Tegbe

By Firdaus Jibril

Nigeria’s electricity sector will continue to struggle financially unless the country’s metering gap is addressed, Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe has said.

Speaking at the launch of the Power Force Programme under the Presidential Metering Initiative in Abuja, the minister said failure to meter millions of electricity consumers has made it difficult for power companies to recover enough revenue, weakening investment and affecting electricity supply.

He highlighted that the wider deployment of smart meters would end estimated billing, improve revenue collection and increase public confidence in the electricity market.

Tegbe also noted that ongoing reforms are aimed at making the power sector more financially sustainable, adding that the recent withdrawal of a court case by the Association of Meter Asset Providers of Nigeria (AMMON) would help speed up meter deployment.