The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has reported that 707,765 electricity meters were installed across Nigeria in the first half of 2026, representing a 71 per cent increase compared to the 412,792 meters installed during the same period in 2025. Despite this surge, more than 4.8 million active electricity customers remained unmetered as of June 2026, with the national metering rate standing at 61.51 per cent.
Meter Installations Surge in First Half of 2026
According to NERC’s quarterly data, electricity distribution companies and metering programmes installed 357,495 meters in the first quarter of 2026 and 350,270 meters in the second quarter. This marks a significant rise from the 187,161 meters installed in Q1 2025 and the 225,631 meters recorded in Q2 2025.
The increase comes as the Federal Government and electricity distribution companies intensify efforts to provide customers with meters and improve transparency in electricity billing. The latest figures highlight the continued push to close Nigeria’s metering gap and reduce the number of consumers who receive estimated bills.
DISREP Leads Meter Deployment in Q2 2026
NERC said the 350,270 meters installed in the second quarter of 2026 came through several financing and metering programmes, with the Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP) accounting for the largest share. A total of 205,486 meters, representing 58.67 per cent of all meters installed during the quarter, were deployed under DISREP.
The Meter Asset Provider (MAP) framework accounted for another 123,833 meters, while 13,028 meters were installed through the Metering Asset Finance (MAF) framework. DisCo-financed metering accounted for 7,643 installations, and 280 meters were provided under the Vendor Financed framework.
Over 4.8 Million Customers Still Unmetered
Despite the strong increase in installations, millions of electricity customers remain without meters, meaning many households and businesses are still exposed to estimated billing. NERC said that by the end of June 2026, 7,743,839 of the 12,589,486 active registered electricity customers in Nigeria had been metered, representing a national metering rate of 61.51 per cent.
The figures indicate that more than 4.8 million active registered customers remained unmetered as of June 2026. The continued expansion of metering is expected to help electricity consumers pay for energy based on their actual consumption rather than estimates, while also improving accountability across the electricity supply chain.
For the Federal Government and DisCos, however, the latest figures show that significant work remains to completely close Nigeria’s metering gap.
