Togo, Niger, Benin Owe Nigeria $17.8m for Electricity Supply — NERC

Togo, Niger, Benin Owe Nigeria $17.8m for Electricity Supply — NERC

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has disclosed that Togo, Niger and Benin Republic owe Nigeria $17.8 million—equivalent to over ₦25 billion at the prevailing exchange rate—for electricity supplied under bilateral power agreements.

In its Third Quarter (Q3) 2025 report, NERC revealed that the three countries were invoiced a total of $18.69 million for electricity supplied during the quarter by Nigeria’s Market Operator, but paid only $7.125 million, leaving an outstanding balance of $11.56 million.

The commission further stated that the international customers also had legacy electricity debts amounting to $14.7 million, of which $7.84 million was paid, leaving an additional $6.23 million unpaid. Combined, the outstanding debts from previous quarters and Q3 2025 stood at $17.8 million, valued at about ₦25.36 billion using an exchange rate of ₦1,425 to the dollar.

NERC identified the indebted international offtakers as Compagnie Énergie Électrique du Togo, Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique (Benin Republic) and Société Nigérienne d’Électricité (Niger Republic).

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According to the regulator, the three companies purchase electricity generated by grid-connected Nigerian Generation Companies (GenCos) and supplied through cross-border bilateral power arrangements.

“The international bilateral customers made a cumulative payment of $7.12 million against a total invoice of $18.69 million for services rendered in 2025/Q3, translating to a 38.09 per cent remittance performance,” NERC stated, noting that more than half of the invoices remained unpaid at the end of the quarter.

In contrast, the commission said domestic bilateral customers recorded stronger payment performance, remitting ₦3.19 billion out of ₦3.64 billion invoiced during the same period—representing an 87.61 per cent remittance rate.

NERC added that some bilateral customers settled portions of outstanding invoices from earlier quarters, with the Market Operator receiving $7.84 million from international customers and ₦1.3 billion from domestic customers as arrears payments.

The report also disclosed that Nigeria’s 11 electricity distribution companies (DisCos) remitted a combined ₦381.29 billion to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) and the Market Operator in Q3 2025, out of a total invoice of ₦400.48 billion, representing a 95.21 per cent remittance performance.

NERC said the figures were derived from reconciled market settlements submitted to the commission as of December 18, 2025, in line with its statutory mandate to assess the commercial performance of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).

Togo, Niger, Benin Owe Nigeria $17.8m for Electricity Supply — NERC