Three international customers owe Nigeria $17.8 million for electricity supplied under bilateral arrangements, according to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
The electricity regulator in its Third Quarter 2025 report, noted that Togo, Niger, and Benin Republic were invoiced a total of $18.69 million by the Market Operator for electricity supplied during the period, but only remitted only $7.125 million, leaving an outstanding balance of $11.56 million.
The regulator identified the international offtakers as Compagnie Énergie Électrique du Togo, Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique of the Republic of Benin, and Société Nigérienne d’Électricité of the Republic of Niger.
Electricity supplied to the three countries was generated by grid-connected Nigerian generation companies (GenCos) and delivered through bilateral cross-border power arrangements.
According to the report, the three international customers had legacy invoices of $14.7 million, out of which they paid $7.84 million, leaving a balance of $6.2 million.
The debt incurred from the previous quarters and that of Q3 2025 amounted to $17.76 million.
NERC’s report stated that the remittance level represented a 38.09 per cent remittance performance, with more than half of the invoices remaining unpaid at the end of the quarter.
“The three international bilateral customers being supplied by GenCos in the NESI made a payment of $7.12 million against the cumulative invoice of $18.69 million issued by the MO for services rendered in 2025/Q3, translating to a remittance performance of 38.09 per cent.”
The commission explained that some bilateral customers paid for power purchased in the quarters before the one being reviewed.
“It is noteworthy that some bilateral customers also made payments for outstanding MO invoices from previous quarters, as follows: the MO received $7.84 million from the international bilateral customers and N1.3 billion from the domestic bilateral customers,” the report added.
In contrast, NERC said domestic bilateral customers performed better, remitting N3.19 billion out of the N3.64 billion invoiced to them during the quarter, representing a remittance rate of 87.61 per cent.
“The domestic bilateral customers made a cumulative payment of N3.19 billion against the invoice of N3.64 billion issued to them by the MO for services rendered in 2025/Q3, translating to 87.61 per cent remittance performance,” it added.
The commission further disclosed that Nigeria’s 11 electricity distribution companies remitted a combined N381.29 billion to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) Plc and the Market Operator in Q3 2025, out of a total invoice of N400.48 billion, translating to a remittance performance of 95.21 per cent.
As part of its statutory assessment of the commercial performance of the electricity market, the regulator noted that the figures were based on reconciled market settlements submitted to the commission as of December 18, 2025.
Nigeria supplies electricity to neighboring, however, faces significant challenges with unpaid bills data showing millions unpaid in arrears from these customers, despite NERC capping exports to prioritise domestic needs due to generation shortfalls and payment indiscipline.
These exports utilise Nigeria’s surplus power but highlight issues with consistent payment and balancing regional obligations with local demand, leading to reduced export levels.