The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has disclosed that international power distribution companies owe Nigeria a total of $8.5 million for electricity supplied in the second quarter of 2025.
According to the commission’s latest quarterly report, the firms were issued a combined invoice of $17.54 million but only made a payment of $9.015 million, resulting in a remittance rate of 51.33%.
The defaulting entities include the Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique (SBEE) of Benin Republic, the Compagnie Energie Electrique du Togo (CEET) of Togo, and the Nigerien Electricity Company (NIGELEC) of Niger Republic.
A breakdown of the payments shows a stark contrast in remittance performance. NIGELEC paid $2.59 million of its $3.71 million invoice, while SBEE paid $6.42 million out of a $9.52 million bill. In a significant default, Togo’s CEET failed to make any payment on its $4.31 million electricity bill.
The report also highlighted domestic payment issues. While domestic bilateral customers had a similar remittance rate of 50.10%, the Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited and its host community were noted for a complete non-payment of a N1.27 billion invoice from the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) Plc, plus an additional N120 million in market operator invoices.
NERC stated that the Ajaokuta debt “continues a longstanding trend of non-payment,” adding that it has escalated the matter to the relevant federal government authorities for intervention.
