The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) has said about 180 megawatts of power is being lost to energy theft perpetrated by large customers.
The Managing Director of NISO, Abdu Mohammed Bello, disclosed this during a stakeholders’ meeting with distribution companies, generation companies, eligible customers, and large customers connected to the Ikorodu-Sagamu 132kV double-circuit transmission lines, in Lagos.
He raised the alarm over what he described as massive electricity theft on the Ikorodu-Sagamu transmission corridor spanning Lagos and Ogun states.
According to Bello, investigations by the system operator uncovered widespread electricity theft and meter manipulation along the transmission corridor, with some large customers connected to the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company and the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company implicated.
According to him, the level of losses recorded on the line was alarming and had become a major threat to grid stability and market revenues.
He explained that the discovery prompted consultations with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, which subsequently backed NISO’s move to tackle the menace.
Bello noted that the Ikorodu-Sagamu corridor was being used as a pilot scheme for a broader crackdown on electricity theft across the national grid.
To curb the losses, Bello said NISO had issued fresh directives to GenCos, DisCos, and eligible customers, noting that the directives include strict compliance with minimum off-take requirements, meter classification rules, and mandatory recalibration of metering instruments by the Transmission Company of Nigeria.
