The Presidency plans to deploy 750,000 electricity meters in 2027 under the Presidential Metering Initiative as part of efforts to bridge Nigeria’s metering gap and curb estimated billing in the power sector.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission disclosed this in its metering factsheet released on October 14, which highlighted government-backed metering programmes and outlined electricity consumers’ rights.

According to the commission, the PMI will commence in 2027 with the deployment of 750,000 meters to help close the country’s metering gap.

The initiative comes amid a persistent electricity metering gap, with millions of customers still relying on estimated bills issued by electricity distribution companies.

NERC’s August 2026 metering data showed that Nigeria had 12.75 million active electricity customers nationwide, of whom 8.05 million had meters, translating to a metering rate of 63.10 per cent. This left approximately 4.7 million customers without meters.

The planned deployment of 750,000 meters would help bridge the gap, but further installations would be required to cover the remaining unmetered customers.

The Presidential Metering Initiative is among several government interventions designed to accelerate meter deployment across the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.

Explaining the Meter Asset Provider scheme, NERC said private meter providers help bridge the metering gap by allowing customers to pay for meters upfront and receive refunds through energy credits.

The commission added that the National Mass Metering Programme was introduced alongside the MAP scheme under the 2021 regulations to accelerate the widespread deployment of electricity meters.

It also stated that the Meter Acquisition Fund provides electricity distribution companies with access to long-term financing to procure meters.

NERC added that the Investment Project Financing component of the programme provides funding for the bulk procurement of electricity meters for distribution companies.

The various interventions are expected to complement one another by accelerating meter deployment and improving the accuracy of electricity billing across the country.

However, the factsheet did not specify how the planned 750,000 meters would be allocated among electricity distribution companies or identify the areas scheduled to benefit from the rollout in 2027.

Beyond meter deployment, NERC reiterated the protections available to unmetered customers, particularly regarding estimated electricity bills.