In line with the extant law and provisions of Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the Metering Code Review Panel (MCRP) has undertaken another review of version 2 of the Nigerian Electricity Metering Code. The review, which was in furtherance of the functions of the MCRP to ensure effectiveness of the metering code, was carried out at a two-day NESI Metering Code Stakeholders' Consultative Forum held in Lagos.

Speaking during the opening of the Consultative Forum on 16th June, 2022, the Secretary of MCRP and the Market Operator, Engr. Dr. Edmund Eje, urged stakeholders to work harmoniously to come up with strong recommendations for the 3rd version of the Nigerian Electricity Metering Code.

“As you all know, this is an important gathering, the regulator has confidence in everybody here, I'll employ us to be very serious about our inputs, as it would go a long way to help the update of the metering code”, Engr. Eje advised.

He further highlighted the importance of the Grid Code and Metering code in the Electricity Market, saying, “the integrity of any Electricity Market depends on accurate and adequate Metering. All operators in the electricity value chain depend on adequate metering to appraise efficiency. Meanwhile, revenue performance is driven by adequate metering. This underscores the importance of metering in the Nigerian Electricity Market and the justification for the stakeholder's seminar on Metering Code Version 2 Review”, he concluded.

Also delivering his opening remarks, the Chairman of MCRP, who is also the Regional Transmission Manager, Abuja Region of TCN, Engr. Ali Sharifai, revealed that the Metering Code was a critical governance document in the power sector. “It's a government document issued by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to administer the Electricity Market” he said.

Engr. Ali Sharifai, went further to explain the role of the Metering Code Review Panel and the expected objectives. “The amended Metering Code version 2 shall be known as Metering Code version 3 after the review. The Metering Code Review Panel members were selected from Transmission Company of Nigerian (TCN), Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Market Operations, DisCos, GenCos, Meter Manufacturers, Nigerian Bulk Electricity traders (NBET), and Meter Test Stations,” he said.

“The Metering Code Version 3 will incorporate smart metering regulation which specifies the technical regulation and sets out the minimum physical functional and data requirements for a smart metering system in the Nigerian electricity supply industry.”

“This regulation which will apply to all licensees that may wish to deploy smart metering is based on international standards; it shows the physical functional interface data, in home display, ownership requirements for the entire smart metering system,” he said. The two-day forum featured presentations from stakeholders on the review of the Metering Code 2 for a better performance of Nigerian Electricity Market

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