The Federal Government installed 707,765 electricity meters across Nigeria in the first half of 2026, representing a 71 per cent increase compared with the 412,792 meters installed during the corresponding period in 2025.
The figure is contained in quarterly data released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and reviewed by Nairametrics.
According to the data, 357,495 meters were installed in the first quarter of 2026, while another 350,270 were installed in the second quarter. In comparison, 187,161 meters were installed in the first quarter and 225,631 in the second quarter of 2025.
The increase comes as the Federal Government continues to expand electricity metering programmes aimed at reducing the number of unmetered customers and improving billing transparency across the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
METERING RATE REACHES 61.51 PER CENT
NERC reported that 350,270 meters were installed during the second quarter of 2026, with the Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP) accounting for the largest share.
Under the different metering frameworks, 205,486 meters, representing 58.67 per cent of total installations during the quarter, were installed through DISREP.
A further 123,833 meters were installed under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) framework, while 13,028 were installed under the Meter Asset Fund (MAF) framework.
DisCos financed another 7,643 meters, while 280 meters were installed under the Vendor Financed framework.
NERC said that as of the end of June 2026, a total of 7,743,839 out of 12,589,486 active registered electricity customers across the NESI had been metered.
This puts the national metering rate at 61.51 per cent.
Despite the progress recorded during the period, more than 4.8 million active registered electricity customers remained without meters at the end of June 2026.
ENERGY CAPS REMAIN IN PLACE FOR UNMETERED CUSTOMERS
NERC said it has continued to apply monthly energy caps as a safeguard for customers who remain unmetered in states where the relevant arrangements have not yet transitioned.
The commission said the measure is intended to protect unmetered customers from excessive billing while the national metering programme continues.
The energy caps determine the maximum amount of electricity that can be billed to an unmetered customer each month.
According to NERC, the calculation is based on the gross energy received by each electricity distribution company and the consumption recorded by metered customers on the respective feeders.
FG EXPANDS WORLD BANK-FINANCED METERING PROGRAMME
The latest installation figures come amid the Federal Government’s wider efforts to accelerate electricity metering through the $500 million World Bank-financed Distribution Sector Recovery Programme.
In August 2026, the government reported that 668,000 electricity meters had been deployed and installed at customers’ premises, representing about 60 per cent of the 1.033 million meters delivered under the first phase of the programme.
The programme had earlier encountered a procurement dispute after the Association of Meter Manufacturers of Nigeria obtained a court injunction that stalled the procurement of 1.55 million smart meters.
The dispute was subsequently resolved after the Federal Government reached an agreement with local meter manufacturers and secured the withdrawal of the injunction.
In July, the government announced plans to deploy 1.56 million meters before the end of 2026 following the resolution of the dispute.
The latest NERC figures indicate that electricity metering expanded significantly during the first half of 2026. However, the number of customers without meters remains substantial, with more than 4.8 million active registered customers still unmetered at the end of June.
The Federal Government’s ongoing metering initiatives are therefore expected to remain central to efforts to improve billing transparency, protect electricity consumers and strengthen the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
