AN OVERVIEW OF THE NIGERIA

ELECTRICITY METERING CODE

ICEPT CONFERENCE, ABUJA.
OCTOBER 14TH- 15TH, 2008

By

Engr. Tasiu Wudil, Engr. Mohammed Imam,

Sunday Obi & Khadijat Akanbi
Engineering, Standards and Safety Division
Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission
Outline of Presentation
 Introduction
 General Conditions
 Grid Metering Code (GMC)
 Distribution Metering Code (DMC)
 Conclusion
 1. Introduction
Legal Mandate of the Code

Section 32, subsection 2b and Section 81,

subsections 1c and 2 of the Electric Power
Sector Reform Act (EPSR) 2005;

- mandates NERC to develop and approve the

operating codes for the safe, secure and
reliable measure and recording of energy
production and utilization.
Reasons for the Code
 Facilitate the need for modern, effective
metering system to account for power and
energy entering and exiting the transmission
and distribution networks and consumed by
the customers.
 Ensure the financial viability of the electricity
industry after the unbundling of the
generation, transmission and distribution
sectors.
 Ensure safe operations and usage of the
metering system in the electricity industry.
Composition of the Metering
Code
 General Conditions

 Grid Metering Code (GMC)

 Distribution Metering Code (DMC)

General Conditions
 Disputes-
Any dispute relating to meters or metering equipment
which will affect settlement and or any payment to be
made or received, shall be dealt with in accordance with
the relevant disputes procedure.
Disputes such as siting of the Commercial Metering
Systems, technical specification for meters, metering
equipment, or the data collection system e.t.c shall be
referred to the Metering Committee.
General Conditions- Contd
 Metering Committee
The membership of the committee cuts across the
industry, representatives of meter manufacturers,
instrument laboratories and NERC as observer.

The Chairman of the Committee shall be elected

by the Metering Committee from among its
members and the Market Operator shall be the
Secretary of the Committee.
2. Grid Metering Code (GMC)
 Specifies the requirement for the metering of
the participant’s connection point on the
Transmission and Distribution Networks.
It covers interchange of energy and power:-
 Entering and exiting from the transmission

network
 Entering and exiting from the distribution

network at any participant’s connecting point.

Metering Requirement
 Commercial Metering System are
installed to measure active and reactive
energy at each connection point on the
Transmission and Distribution network.

 Connection points are classified

according to type, as shown in Table 1,
below.
 Classification of GMC Types of
Connection Points
Type 1 Type 2 Type 3 Type 4 Type 5 Type 6
Between a Between Between International Between All other
Generator transmission Transmission two connection
Connections
unit/group network and Network and Distribution points
with a a an Eligible Networks of
connection Distribution Customer, different
capacity network. with a licensees
equal to or connection
greater capacity
than 10MW equal to or
and the greater than
Transmissio 10MW
n Network
Ownership and Associated
Obligations
 Owner’s Obligation
The relevant owner shall be responsible
for installing and maintaining his metering
equipment at the Connection Point,
unless the User agrees with the MO
otherwise.
User’s Obligation
 The User who owns the substation shall
provide the MO with:
- 24 hour unrestricted access to the
facilities where the Metering System is
located.
- adequate space for installing
communications devices
- reliable power supplies
Market Operator’s Obligation
 The MO shall be responsible for
approving the initial design, testing,
commissioning and sealing of any
Commercial Metering System.
 The MO shall maintain a register of all
Commercial Meters for settlement
purposes at all Connection Points.
Certification,Calibration and
Testing of Metering System
 User’s Obligation
- Individual user shall ensure the
certification, calibration of meters and
metering equipment by an approved
Metering Test Station in Nigeria.
- Users shall prepare, calculate, assess
and validate and keep appropriate
records of meter readings.
Market Operator’s Obligation
 The MO shall be granted access to the
Metering Equipment upon reasonable
notice, to inspect any adjustments
made or to attend any tests or
inspection required.
 The MO shall periodically check meters
to ensure that the meters are operated
within accuracy limits.
NERC’s Obligation
 NERC shall approve the adequacy
(accreditation) of any certification done
by the meter manufacturer, which may
require additional test or verification by
an authorized Meter Test Station before
usage.
Security and Data Access
 Market Operator’s Obligation
- Commercial Meters shall be sealed
after tests or inspections have been
carried out.
User’s Obligation
 Each User shall arrange for the
Metering Equipment to be secured and
sealed by the MO.

 Ensure only personnel with the right

permission have access to the Meters
and Metering Equipments.
Owner’s Obligation
 Only the owner can change data and
the settings of the Metering Equipment
but in the presence of the MO,
associated user, authorized
representative or with the written
agreement of the MO or the associated
user( This is in respect to commercial metering).
Distribution Metering Code
(DMC)
 Specifies the technical and operational
criteria, including the procedures to be
complied with by the distribution company in
carrying out its metering responsibility for the
customers of the distribution system.
 The distribution metering code covers
interchange of energy and power:-
 Entering and exiting the distribution network
at any customer’s connection point. Provided
the customer is not a participant.
Application of DMC
 Apply to all Distributors and Users of
the Distribution Networks e.g.
customers connected to the LV, MV
distribution network and directly
connected generators (provided they
are not participants in the market).
Installation and Replacement
of Metering Equipment
 Distributor’s Obligation
- The Disco own, install, verify, operate,
maintain, inspect, replace all Metering
systems at metering points on the
Distribution System.
- The Disco shall notify the user in advance of
any replacement, unless that replacement is
provided as part of urgent metering services.
Standard Metering Systems
 These shall contain a Meter or more than one
Meter, each of which is certified and complies
with the standards stated in the DMC.
 Meters and Metering Equipment shall have a
minimum service life of 10 years without
maintenance from date of manufacture. The
maximum service life of Meters and Metering
Equipment shall be as specified by the
manufacturer of such equipments, but in any
case not longer than 20 years.
Alternatives to Standard
Metering Systems
 Upon the request of a User, the
Distributor may arrange to install a
check meter, or additional features or
equipment in the check meter provided
that:
 The User agrees to pay the full costs of
the additional features or equipment.
Alternatives to Standard
Metering Systems….contd
 The additional features or equipment
are compatible with the rest of the
Metering System and do not lead to any
degradation of the capability of the
Metering System that would cause the
Metering System to fail to meet any
standards contained in the DMC.
Technical Requirements and
Accuracy of Meters
 Discos Obligation
- The Disco shall ensure that the accuracy of
each Meter in each Metering System is
certified by an authorised Meter Test Station
and meets the applicable accuracy limits and
conforms to the relevant IEC standards or
any equivalent Nigerian Standards.
Certification and Tests (Certification
of New Installations)
 NERC’s Obligation
- Every meter model to be used in a
Metering Installation shall be certified
by National Meter Test & Calibration
Laboratory (NMTCL) or any other body
as may be approved by NERC to
perform these Type Tests.
Certification of Existing
Installations
 Disco’s Obligation
To obtain NERC’s certifications, the
Disco shall submit to NERC, within the
first twelve (12) months of the Effective
Date of this DMC, all supporting
documentation to show certification of
its metering equipment.
Certification of Existing
Installations…..contd
 NERC’s Obligation
- NERC will evaluate the submitted
documentation, require clarifications and
conduct independent analysis which should
include testing, by an authorised Meter Test
Station, of specific samples of the Meters or
Metering Equipment, before issuing or
rejecting the required certification.
Re- Certification
 Before the certification of a Metering
Installation, or of any of its
components, expires, the Metering
Installation should require re-
certification, by an authorized Meter
Test Station accredited to perform
Calibration Tests certifications.
Duration of Metering Systems
Inspection
 Disco’s Obligation
 The Disco shall ensure that each Metering
System is inspected according to the
following Table:

Type of Metering System Frequency

Medium Voltage Once every year
Low Voltage, including PPM Once every 3 years
Duration of Metering Systems
Calibration and Tests
 Disco’s Obligation
 The Disco shall ensure that each Metering
System is tested and calibrated by an
authorised Meter Test Station according to
the following Table:
Duration of Metering Systems
Calibration and Tests…contd
S/N Type of Metering System Frequency
1. Medium Voltage

Connection Capacity above 10 4 years

MW
Connection Capacity between 1 8 years
and 10 MW
Connection Capacity below 1 MW 8 years

2. Low Voltage, including 8 years

prepayment
Duration of Metering Systems
Calibration and Tests…contd
 User’s Obligation
- The User may request the Disco to
carry out inspection and or testing,
provided that the User pays the cost of
the test.
-The User shall grant access to NERC
inspectors to carry out inspections and
or tests.
Duration of Metering Systems
Calibration and Tests…contd
 NERC’s Obligation
- NERC may carry out unannounced
inspection and or test, utilizing an
authorised Metering Test Station if
considered suitable.
Faulty Metering Equipment
 Disco’s Obligation
- If a Metering System fault occurs, the Disco
shall provide Urgent Metering Services to
repair or replace the Metering System as soon
as is reasonably practicable and in any event
within two working days of the Distributor
discovering that the fault exists.
Access to Metering Systems
User’s Obligation
-The User shall grant access to the
Distributor to enable the Disco to fulfill
its obligations under the DMC.
Security of Metering Systems
 Disco’s Obligation
- The Disco shall maintain the security of
the metering data stored in or obtained
from each Metering System.
- Appropriate seals shall be applied to
each Metering System which is subject
to NERC approval.
Meter Reading and Data
Management
 Disco’s Obligation
- The Distributor shall schedule at least once in
four (4) months reading for all manually read
meters.
- The Disco shall maintain a metering data
registry that contains usage data for each
User and data required for settlement
purposes in respect of each Metering System.
Conclusion
 The Metering Code is a live document which
changes with new requirements and
advancements in the use of modern meters.
 Modern accurate metering systems shall be
deployed across the industry to measure and
record energy production and utilization.
 Ensure financial viability of the electricity
industry after the unbundling of the Nigeria
Power Sector.
THANK YOU