Amid Tariff Increase, Electricity Supply Nosedives In Q1, 2024

Despite increased bills sent to customers without pre-paid meters by Electricity Distribution Companies(DisCos), there was a sharp decline in electricity supply in the first quarter of the year.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report, though there was a decline in electricity supply in the period reviewed,power supply dropped from 6,432.22 gigawats per hour (Gwh) in Q4 2023 to 5,769.52 (Gwh) in Q1 2024.

However, on a year-on-year basis, electricity supply decreased by 1.41 per cent compared to 5,851.87 (Gwh) reported in Q1 2023, NBS said.

The bureau also said, estimated billing customers during the quarter under review were 6.43 million, showing an increase of 10.22 per cent compared to 5.83 million in Q4 2023.

“On a year-on-year basis, estimated customers increased by 7.88 per cent in Q1 2024 from 5.96 million in Q1 2023,” NBS added.

The report said estimated billing customers during the quarter under review were 6.43 million, an increase of 10.22 per cent against the 5.83 million billed in Q4 2023.

On a year-on-year basis, estimated customers increased by 7.88 per cent in Q1 2024 from 5.96 million in Q1 2023.

It said, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) had the highest number of estimated billing customers of 1.41 million, followed by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (765,662), the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (690,604), the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (688,081), and the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (639,395).

“Similarly, metered customers stood at 5.91 million in Q1 2024, indicating a growth of 5.38% from 5.61 million recorded in the preceding quarter.

“On a year-on-year basis, this grew by 11.26% from the figure reported in Q1 2023 which was 5.31 million,” it added.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) recently approved N21 billion for metering Band A customers.

Nigeria’s power sector are battling a lot of interconnected issues including a generation gap, as the country’s current generation capacity is around 13,000MW, falling short of the estimated 30,000MW required for a stable national grid.

Approximately 7 million consumers in Nigeria remain without meters. Even the available power struggles to reach consumers, less than 4,500MW is actually being distributed, due to an inadequate transmission network.

“Revenue collected by the DisCos during the period was N291.62 billion from N294.95 billion in Q4 2023, “ the report showed.

“On a year-on-year basis, revenue generated in the reference period rose by 17.91 per cent from N247.33 billion recorded in Q1 2023,” it stated.

The NBS also said the total number of customers stood at 12.33 million in Q1 — up from 12.12 million in Q4 2023, representing an increase of 1.78 per cent.