Ikeja Disco to install 500,000 pre-paid meters in 3 years

The Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) is to roll out 500,000 electricity pre-paid meters to customers in the next three years.

The Chief Executive Officer of the company, Abiodun Ajifowobaje, who disclosed this in Lagos yesterday added that the installation would commence by December.

According to the CEO, IKEDC would ensure effective metering of customers currently without meters to stop estimated billing, pointing out that the company was faced with challenges of adequate meters and insufficiency of energy from the national grid.

He, however, said that IKEDC was working out modalities for a lasting solution to the problems.

Ajifowobaje explained that the company had established a customers’ forum in all its business units, saying that the forum would enable IKEDC to interact with its customers on their electricity challenges with a view to finding solutions.

The CEO said that IKEDC was currently receiving from 350 mega watts to 450 mega watts of electricity instead of a daily energy supply of 1,250 mega watts from the national grid.

“I am, however, happy to report that IKEDC is involved in talks with several partners to explore supply from embedded power generation, independent power projects and other sources, to improve supply; “we are equally working on a robust metering model that will promote transparency in billing and eradicate energy theft to improve power supply to customers”, he assured.

He said that the company has so far installed over 5,000 pre-paid meters to customers at no cost since they took over the company, assuring further that obsolete and malfunctioning meters would also be replaced even as the company had made significant progress to ensure a robust metering system that would enhance accuracy in billing.

The IKEDC boss said that additional security features would be included in the new pre-paid meters to counter the activities of those tampering with the meters illegally.
“Our first phase plan is to ensure that about 300,000 pre-paid meters are rolled out by December while the others will be installed to replace faulty ones in the next three years.”