Aba Power, Nigeria's 12th electricity distribution company, has launched a free mass meter rollout.
The company's Managing Director, Ugo Opiegbe, says this is proving to be mutually beneficial for the utility and its customers.
Speaking to employees on Wednesday, Opiegbe highlighted the rollout as a “win-win” scenario, noting the positive reception from customers. “More and more customers are coming daily to all our physical offices and online platforms from morning to night to express satisfaction and to pay their bills with greater enthusiasm,” he stated.
While Opiegbe did not disclose specific revenue figures since the smart meter rollout began in June, internal sources suggest a significant increase, potentially up to 15%. This uptick in revenue comes despite the meters being provided at no cost to customers.
A company manager, who preferred to remain anonymous, emphasized the importance of customer satisfaction amid Nigeria's challenging economic climate. “People come on their own to pay their monthly bills and commend us for the speed at which the meters are given out free of charge and installed daily,” the manager noted.
Aba Power's ambitious plan includes installing 20,000 smart meters monthly, aiming to equip at least 100,000 customers across nine local government areas within the Aba Ring-fence Area by the end of the year. The rollout process is being conducted feeder by feeder, with significant progress already made on eight of the 30 feeders in the region.
The manager in charge of the metering team, Engr Alfred Ategie, described the initiative as a substantial financial undertaking, with the total cost of metering all customers by partner firms estimated to exceed N33 billion. Yet, Ategie assured that these costs are not being passed on to the customers.
The rollout is supported by a consortium of companies, including the Kayz Consortium of Nigeria, Eve Metering Company of China, DESN, and CHINT, both of China. This collaboration underscores the project’s scale and ambition.
