Togo, Niger, Benin Owe Nigeria $11m For Electricity Supplied In 2025 – NERC

Togo, Niger and Benin owed Nigeria $11.16 million for electricity supplied in 2025, according to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

The figure was contained in NERC’s 2025 annual report, which showed that the Market Operator (MO) billed the three countries a total of $73.91 million for electricity-related services.

However, only $62.75 million was paid, leaving an outstanding balance of $11.16 million.

The foreign electricity customers listed by NERC are Société Nigérienne d’Électricité (NIGELEC) of Niger, Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique (SBEE) of Benin and Compagnie Énergie Électrique du Togo (CEET).

NERC said the payments represented an 84.90 percent remittance rate for the international bilateral customers.

Meanwhile, domestic bilateral electricity customers paid N12.75 trillion out of the N13.20 trillion they were billed for services provided during the year. This amounted to a 96.60 percent payment rate.

The commission also raised concerns over unpaid electricity bills linked to Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited and its host community.

According to the report, the special customer failed to make any payment towards a N4.96 billion bill issued by Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) and another N500 million bill from the Market Operator.

NERC said it had referred the continued non-payment by Ajaokuta to relevant federal ministries in an effort to find a permanent solution.

The commission warned that if the outstanding debts are not settled, the Ajaokuta complex could face disconnection from NBET and the Market Operator because of its large unpaid bills.

NERC also reported that electricity distribution companies (DisCos) took 31,251.77GWh of energy from the market in 2025.

Of this amount, 25,867.86GWh was billed to customers, giving an energy accounting efficiency of 82.77 percent.

The commission explained that the measure shows how well DisCos account for the electricity they receive at their trading points. It compares the amount of electricity billed to customers with the total energy supplied to an area.

Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company recorded the highest efficiency at 88.84 percent, while Enugu DisCo had the lowest at 72.18 percent.

NERC said DisCos need to improve their energy accounting by reducing technical losses, properly registering customers, improving customer service and increasing the number of metered customers.

It also recommended stronger measures and the use of technology to tackle electricity theft and improve the overall efficiency of the distribution system.

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