Aba Power Begins Free Prepaid Meter Rollout as NERC Orders Downgrade of Band A Feeders
- Aba Power, Nigeria’s newest DisCo, has begun a massive rollout of free prepaid meters to its customers
- The company disclosed that it plans to install about 20,000 prepaid meters free for its customers under the Aba-Owerri Expressway 33kV feeder
- The DisCo covers 31 feeders, four of which were metered in an earlier exercise, which ended one month ago.
Legit.ng’s Pascal Oparada has reported on tech, energy, stocks, investment and the economy for over a decade.
Aba Power has begun the rollout of the second phase of its prepaid meter installation scheme.
The power utility company resumed operations with 20,000 smart meters provided by Eves Metering of China, which will be fully installed within one month at a cost of approximately N3.5 billion.
Source: UGC
Aba Power plans 20,000 free prepaid meter rollout
However, the firm said it is not providing metres simultaneously to all its coverage areas.
According to Aba Power’s brand and communication senior manager, Edise Ekong, the rollout is going to be feeder by feeder.
Ekong stated that the company is currently providing free smart meters to only customers under the Aba-Owerri Expressway 33kV feeder.
He stated that the feeder covers customers in Umuode, Osisioma Local Government Area, the Old Aba-Owerri Highway, Tonimas Junction, and the Powerline area of Aba.
Aba DisCo to provide 100,000 prepaid meters
The DisCo has 31 feeders, four of which were metered in an earlier exercise, which ended one month ago.
Engineer Blessing Ogbe, the company’s chief operating officer, disclosed that the DisCo plans to meter about 100,000 customers in 2025, stating that it is the reason the firm hired the services of the Chinese firm and those of Kayz Consortium.
He said Kayz Consortium is now moving its production site to Aba Power’s premises in the Osisioma Industrial Layout in Abia to boost speed.
According to him, there is another company, Chint Metering Company of China, that will begin another phase of the metering project.
Ogbe advised customers to get experienced technicians to ensure that each customer has a separate wire in a block of flats, as the company can no longer allow two or more customers to use one metre.
Residents laud Aba Power’s aggressive metering
He disclosed that the move was to allow for transparency, efficient energy use, conflict resolution, and reduce cheating by fraudulent and difficult energy users who consume excessive energy and refuse to pay.
The Sun reports that Alphonsus Udeigbo, the president general of the Aba Landlords Development and Protection Association (ALPADA), expressed optimism and welcomed the Aba Power’s aggressive metering campaign, promising that the association will cooperate in the rollout exercise.
FG orders the downgrade of some Band A feeders
The development comes as the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) asked electricity firms to downgrade 18 electricity feeders in the Band A feeders to lower bands over their inability to supply a minimum of 20 hours of power to the affected customers.
The commission also ordered the DisCos to compensate Band A customers in 213 feeders.
The breakdown of the affected DisCos
The order was contained in the May 2025 Supplementary Order to the Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO).
About eight electricity distribution firms were cited in the new directive, affecting mostly Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKDC) and Ikeja Electric.
An analysis shows that EKDC has the largest number of feeders to be compensated, with 84 feeders.
Eko and Ikeja DisCos have highest feeders
Daily Trust reports that while the main reason was the DisCos’ inability to meet the 20-hour power supply demand, 37 feeders were compensated for load shedding caused by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
Ikeja Electric came next with 50 feeders to be compensated, as three were downgraded to lower bands.
Source: Getty Images
However, the company has not received approval to upgrade eight feeders to higher bands.
NERC issues new directive on electricity bill collection
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has issued fresh guidelines, mandating electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to utilise a digital, transparent, and accountable framework for electricity revenue collection.
The new framework was released on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, and was signed by the NERC chairman, Sanusi Garba.
The new directive takes effect immediately and is based on the commission’s powers as enshrined in Section 226 of the Electricity Act 2023.
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Source: Legit.ng
