The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) has commenced free mass meter roll-out to electricity consumers in South-East, under the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP), according to Mr Emeka Ezeh, Head, Corporate Communications, EEDC.
In a statement made available to journalists in Enugu, on Sunday, Ezeh assured customers that the NMMP meters would get to them free, as they would not be required to make any upfront payment to be metered.
“The mass metering program comes at no cost to our customers. We kicked off the roll-out of the NMMP meters on Jan. 21, using select feeders under our Ogui and Abakpa Districts as pilot.
“Already, pre-installation survey has begun at these pilot locations, and the NMMP meters are being installed simultaneously. Customers are requested to cooperate with EEDC as the modalities for deployment will be according to feeders and distribution substations.
“Information on this will be made available to customers as the exercise progresses,” he said.
He advised customers to guard against falling victim to some fraudulent elements that might want to extort them in the process, adding that “the meter is free and with time it will get to everyone.’’
According to him, it was expected that by the end of 2021, a substantial number of electricity customers within the EEDC network, which covers the entire South-East, would have been metered.
Ezeh noted that the NMMP programme would go a long way in reducing the high Aggregate, Technical, Commercial and Collection (ATC & C) losses of the company, while enhancing EEDC’s revenue, eliminating issues such as estimated billing, and also enabling customers to manage their energy consumption.
“EEDC reaffirms its commitment to metering its customers and ensuring that the NMMP, which will help close the metering gap and gradually put an end to issues around estimated billing, succeeds,’’ he added.
It would be recalled that the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) is an initiative of the Federal Government, designed to ensure speedy deployment of meters to electricity customers, as a deliberate move to close the identified metering gap in the country.