Niger and Benin owe Nigeria $17.8 million, equivalent to over ₦25 billion at current exchange rates, for electricity supplied under bilateral agreements, according to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.
In its Third Quarter 2025 report, NERC said three international customers were billed a total of $18.69 million by the Market Operator for power supplied during the period, but paid only $7.125 million, leaving an outstanding balance of $11.56 million.
In the same vein, international bilateral customers had legacy outstanding invoices of $14.7 million, but paid only $7.84 million, leaving an unpaid balance of $6.23 million.
It is reported that the cumulative debt from previous quarters and the third quarter of 2025 amounted to $17.8 million, translating to ₦25.36 billion at an exchange rate of ₦1,425 per dollar.
NERC identified the international offtakers as Compagnie Énergie Électrique du Togo, Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique of Benin Republic, and Société Nigérienne d’Électricité of the Republic of Niger.
NERC said the three international bilateral customers paid a combined $7.125 million out of the $18.69 million invoiced by the Market Operator for electricity supplied in the third quarter of 2025.
The regulator noted that this amounted to a remittance performance of 38.09 per cent, with more than half of the invoices still outstanding at the end of the quarter.
It added that the power supplied to the three countries was generated by grid-connected Nigerian generation companies and delivered under bilateral cross-border electricity arrangements.
“The three international bilateral customers being supplied by GenCos in the NESI made a payment of $7.12m against the cumulative invoice of $18.69m issued by the MO for services rendered in 2025/Q3, translating to a remittance performance of 38.09 per cent.
In contrast, NERC said domestic bilateral customers performed better, remitting N3.19bn out of the N3.64bn invoiced to them during the quarter, representing a remittance rate of 87.61 per cent.
“The domestic bilateral customers made a cumulative payment of N3.19bn against the invoice of N3.64bn issued to them by the MO for services rendered in 2025/Q3, translating to 87.61 per cent remittance performance,” it added.
The commission explained that some bilateral customers made payments for electricity purchased in quarters preceding the period under review.
“It is noteworthy that some bilateral customers also made payments for outstanding MO invoices from previous quarters, as follows: the MO received $7.84m from the international bilateral customers and N1.3bn from the domestic bilateral customers,” the report stated.
The commission further revealed that the country’s 11 electricity distribution companies paid a combined ₦381.29 billion to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc and the Market Operator in the third quarter of 2025, from a total bill of ₦400.48 billion, reflecting a remittance rate of 95.21 per cent.
