The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has introduced new penalties for individuals and businesses found guilty of bypassing electricity meters.
The NERC made this known in its newly-issued revised Order on Unauthorised Access, Meter Tampering, and By-pass posted on NERC’s X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday.
This replaces Order No: NERC/REG/41/2017.
The new order, which took effect on 22 January 2025, aligns with the Electricity Act 2023 and the Customer Protection Regulations (CPR) 2023 to strengthen enforcement against electricity theft and ensure compliance with metering regulations.
The revised order grants Distribution Companies (DisCos) the authority to disconnect unauthorised connections without prior notice and prescribes clear conditions for reconnection. The objectives of the amendment include:
- Reducing unauthorised access to electricity, meter tampering, and by-pass.
- Establishing transparent reconnection guidelines to ensure compliance and deter future violations.
New Fines for Offenders
NERC has introduced stiffer financial penalties for electricity consumers found guilty of meter tampering and by-pass. The revised fines are as follows:
- Non-MD (Maximum Demand) Single-phase meters
- First offence: N100,000
- Subsequent offence: N150,000
- Non-MD Three-phase meters
- First offence: N200,000
- Subsequent offence: N300,000
Implications for Electricity Consumers
The new penalties highlight NERC’s commitment to reducing energy losses and ensuring that consumers pay for the electricity they use. The commission emphasized that stricter enforcement would help curb electricity theft, improve revenue collection for DisCos, and ultimately enhance service delivery.
Electricity consumers are advised to ensure their metering systems remain compliant with regulatory standards to avoid disconnection and fines.
DisCos have also been directed to implement awareness campaigns to educate customers on the consequences of meter tampering and the importance of regularizing their electricity connections.
What you should know
Recall that, in January, NERC urged the electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to develop a framework for identifying the assets and liabilities to enhance effective regulation.
- NERC’s statement read, in part, The Chairman NERC, Sanusi Garba, emphasized the importance of a transparent and structured approach to asset and liability delineation, particularly in the wake of ongoing reforms aimed at decentralizing electricity regulation. Participants engaged in robust discussions, sharing insights on best practices and potential challenges in implementing delineation frameworks.”
- The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) made it known that the country had registered 13,339,635 electricity customers across 12 DisCos, with 7,182,909 (53.85%) yet to be metered as reported by Nairametrics.
In November 2024, NERC directed electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to ensure that Band A customers are provided with the mandated 20 hours of daily power supply.
