AEDC set to meter 500,000 customers at $150m

Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has set the target of metering an estimated 500, 000 customers within its franchise areas in three years at the cost of $150 million.

Fielding questions from journalists after the flag-off of the DisCo’s free mass metering exercise at the Abuja Investment Estate in Apo, Abuja recently, the managing director and chief executive officer of AEDC, Engr Ernest Mupwaya, noted that with the flag-off performed, metering in all other areas within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has begun simultaneously.

Speaking on the DisCo’s plan for the whole of its franchise areas, Mupwaya said, “In total, we are estimating 500, 000 customers to be covered with meters of various capacities, 2-phase, 3-phase, Maximum Demand (MD) among others, which will cost within the region of US$ 150 million.”

Noting that the exercise was slated for completion in three years, Mupwaya made some clarification by saying that the metering was flagged-off at Abuja Investment Estate because the customers there were among the earliest to be enumerated, adding that it is only after successful enumeration that an area can be metered.

“As I speak, customers’ enumeration is in top gear; it is a huge exercise that will cost AEDC about US$ 4 to $5 million. We have already enumerated 30, 000,” he revealed.

Earlier in his remark, the Hon. Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, who performed the flag-off exercise commended and congratulated AEDC for living up to its promise in the metering of Abuja residents.

While calling for collective and collaborative efforts against rough handling and vandalism of the meters and other electrical facilities, the minister also charged AEDC to ensure that the entire FCT is metered.

While presenting the welcome address, the Chairman, AEDC Board of Directors, Ambassador Shehu Malami, said metering has come to solve the complaints of underbilling and over billing which had characterised the estimated billing method resulting in losses for the company or exploitation of customers.

Debunking the allegation that AEDC benefit more from the estimated system, Malami said it had rather led to losses.

He said at the time the company came on board, losses was about 50 percent, and has been reduced to 40 per cent, adding that after the metering is completely achieved, it is expected that such losses will be as low as 17 per cent.