‘It’s free’ — NERC asks Nigerians to update prepaid meters before Nov 2024

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has asked prepaid meter users to update their meters before November next year.

NERC announced the development via its X handle (formerly known as Twitter) on Tuesday.

The commission said prepaid meter users might face difficulties in recharging their meters after November 2024 if the required update is not done before the deadline.

While assuring that the update is free of charge, NERC advised users to get in touch with their respective electricity distribution companies (DisCos) for more information on the process.

The electricity regulatory agency also said the update would not tamper with the units in the meters.

“If you have a prepaid meter, it may be time for an update. From November 2024, you may not be able to recharge your meter. However, updating is easy and free. DisCos shall commence issuance of 2 free Key Change Tokens (KCTs) which will update your meter,” the post reads.

“The update will not affect the units in your meter nor will it make your meter run faster than usual. Contact your DisCo for more information.”

If you have a prepaid meter, it may be time for an update. From November, 2024, you may not be able to recharge your meter. However, updating is easy and free. DisCos shall commence issuance of 2 free Key Change Tokens (KCTs) which will update your meter. pic.twitter.com/H5KwrIaMjW

— NERC Nigeria (@NERCNG) August 22, 2023

Checks by TheCable showed that the required update is referenced on Conlog’s website, one of the meter asset providers licensed by NERC.

According to Conlog, each credit token has a unique token identifier (TID) encoded into the 20 digits to prevent token replay at the meter.

The TID is referenced to a base date of 1993 and will run out of range in November 2024, thus causing the payment meter to stop accepting new tokens.

Conlog said the technical remedy is to reset each meter to reference a new base date by means of entering two special tokens before the November 24, 2024 deadline.