Unmetered electricity customers rise to 5.96m in Q1, 2023

Despite improvement recorded by the power sector in Q1, 2023, the number of customers on estimated billing continued to rise showing huge deficit in the metering sector.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Electricity Report for Q1 2023, the number of estimated customers increased slightly by 0.40 per cent from 5.93 million in Q4 2022 to 5.96 million in Q1 2023.

Compared to Q1 2022, when the estimated customers were 5.84 million, the year-on-year increase was 1.99 per cent. The report however showed that the electricity sector in the country witnessed some positive developments in the first quarter of the year.The report covers the energy billed, revenue generated, and customers by DISCOS for the period under review.

According to the report, the total number of customers served by the Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOS) increased from 11.06 million in Q4 2022 to 11.27 million in Q1 2023, representing a growth of 1.89 per cent.

Compared to Q1 2022, when the customer base was 10.63 million, the year-on-year increase was 5.99 per cent.

The report also revealed that the number of metered customers rose by 3.61 per cent from 5.13 million in Q4 2022 to 5.31 million in Q1 2023.

On a year-on-year basis, this was a growth of 10.86 per cent from 4.79 million in Q1 2022.

The NBS report also showed that the revenue collected by the DISCOS in Q1 2023 was N247.33 billion, which was higher than the N232.32 billion collected in Q4 2022 by 6.47 per cent.

On a year-on-year basis, the revenue generated in Q1 2023 was higher by 20.81 per cent than the N204.74 billion recorded in Q1 2022.

The report also indicated that the electricity supply increased to 5,852 (Gwh) in Q1 2023 from 5,611 (Gwh) recorded in Q4 2022, showing a growth of 4.29 per cent.

However, on a year-on-year basis, electricity supply declined by 1.74 per cent compared to 5,956 (Gwh) reported in Q1 2022.

The report attributed the increase in revenue and electricity supply to improved metering and billing systems, increased tariff rates, and reduced technical and commercial losses by the DISCOS.

The NBS said that the data for the report was provided by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and verified and validated by the NBS.