The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has issued a stern warning to electricity distribution companies (DisCos) regarding the July 31 deadline for the upgrade of electricity meters.
In a statement released on Tuesday, NERC highlighted this directive during the second Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) stakeholders meeting for 2024.
The commission has mandated that DisCos must upgrade existing meters to a new specification to ensure they continue to accept meter tokens.
NERC emphasized that any DisCo failing to complete the migration of token identifiers of standard transfer specification (STS) meters from key revision 1 to key revision 2 before the deadline will face penalties.
The token identifier is a secret code embedded in every energy token used on prepaid electricity meters, while STS is the global standard for the transfer of electricity and other utility prepayment tokens.
Key topics discussed at the stakeholders meeting included “STS-2 Migration by the Distribution Companies (DisCos), an update on the establishment of the Independent System Operator (ISO) in the NESI, MAP Meter Refunds, and metering challenges,” according to the NERC statement.
NERC noted that DisCo presentations covered the impact, challenges, opportunities, and action plans for transitioning to a multi-tier market.
The recent signing of the Electricity Act 2023 was highlighted as a significant development, unlocking substantial opportunities for the private sector and state governments to engage more actively in the NESI.
Some states have already begun setting up their own State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs).
“Another critical discussion centered around the progress report on the STS migration of electricity meters and its approaching deadline. Sanctions would be meted out to DisCos that fail to complete STS meter migration of their customers after the Commission’s July 31st deadline,” NERC reiterated.
