Togo, Niger, And Benin Owe Nigeria N25 Billion in Unpaid Electricity Bills – NERC

Togo, Niger, and Benin owe Nigeria $17.8 million, equivalent to over N25 billion at current exchange rates, for electricity supplied under bilateral agreements, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has reported.

In its Third Quarter 2025 report, NERC stated that these three international customers were invoiced a total of $18.69 million by the Market Operator for electricity supplied during the period, but they paid only $7.125 million, leaving an outstanding balance of $11.56 million.

Additionally, legacy invoices from previous quarters amounted to $14.7 million, of which $7.84 million was settled, leaving a balance of $6.23 million. Combined, the total outstanding debt from Q3 2025 and previous quarters stands at $17.8 million, or N25.36 billion using an exchange rate of N1,425 to the dollar.

The international offtakers were identified as Compagnie Énergie Électrique du Togo, Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique of Benin, and Société Nigérienne d’Électricité of Niger. NERC noted that electricity supplied to these countries was generated by grid-connected Nigerian generation companies and delivered through cross-border bilateral arrangements.

For Q3 2025, the three international customers collectively remitted $7.125 million against the $18.69 million invoiced, representing a 38.09 percent remittance rate, with more than half of the billed amount remaining unpaid.

In comparison, domestic bilateral customers performed significantly better, paying N3.19 billion out of N3.64 billion invoiced for the same period, a remittance rate of 87.61 percent.

The report highlighted that some bilateral customers also made payments for invoices from previous quarters. The Market Operator received $7.84 million from international customers and N1.3 billion from domestic customers as settlements of past invoices.

Furthermore, Nigeria’s 11 electricity distribution companies remitted a total of N381.29 billion to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc and the Market Operator in Q3 2025, out of N400.48 billion invoiced, achieving a remittance performance of 95.21 percent.

NERC explained that these figures are based on reconciled market settlements submitted to the commission as of December 18, 2025, as part of its statutory review of the electricity market’s commercial performance.