Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) billed customers ₦252.87 billion out of the ₦328.95 billion worth of electricity they received in May, according to data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
The figures were contained in NERC’s factsheet on the “commercial performance of DisCos” for May.
The commission revealed that the difference between the value of electricity supplied to the DisCos and the amount billed stood at ₦76.08 billion, representing a billing shortfall of 30.09 per cent.
The report showed that billing efficiency among the distribution companies dropped to 76.87 per cent in May, compared with 83.32 per cent recorded in April.
NERC also disclosed that the 11 DisCos generated ₦208.15 billion in revenue during the month, a decline from the ₦302.96 billion collected in the previous month.
Despite the revenue decline, the commission said the companies achieved a collection efficiency rate of 82.32 per cent in May, representing a 1.66 percentage-point improvement from the 80.66 per cent recorded in April.
According to NERC, the electricity sector recorded an overall recovery efficiency of 77.31 per cent, with the average actual collection standing at ₦96.16 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), compared with the approved average tariff of ₦124.39/kWh.
The commission noted that Ikeja DisCo recorded the highest recovery efficiency in May at 94.63 per cent, followed by Eko DisCo with 91.54 per cent and Abuja DisCo with 84.84 per cent.
Earlier on August 3, NERC announced that DisCos installed 227,559 meters for customers in March and April.
The commission said an additional 111,654 customers were metered in April, following 115,905 installations carried out in the previous month.