In a bid to curb electricity theft, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has introduced fines for meter tampering and by-pass, effective January 22, 2025. This move aims to reduce unauthorized access to electricity and promote compliance among customers ¹.
Penalties for Offenders
- Residential customers (single-phase) will be fined N100,000 for the first offense and N150,000 for subsequent offenses.
- Three-phase customers will face fines of N200,000 for the first offense and N300,000 for subsequent offenses.
- Maximum Demand (MD) customers will be charged 450% of their last recorded consumption for the first offense and 600% for subsequent offenses.
Additional Costs
- Offenders will also be required to pay reconnection costs of N10,000 for non-MD customers and N50,000 for MD customers.
- Customers guilty of unauthorized access will be back-billed for the loss of revenue at the prevailing tariff.
NERC’s amended order aligns with the Electricity Act 2023 and the Customer Protection Regulations (CPR) 2023, allowing Distribution Companies (DisCos) to disconnect unauthorized connections without notice and prescribe reconnection conditions
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