Benin and Togo have failed to pay more than $11 million owed to Nigeria for electricity supplied during the first quarter of 2025, according to the latest report by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and published by Punch.
The two countries, through their power utilities, Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique (SBEE) and Compagnie Energie Electrique du Togo (CEET), paid only a small portion of what was invoiced for the period.
Togo’s CEET received power through two bilateral deals, one with Odukpani and another with Paras Energy, but made no payments at all for the quarter.
SBEE, which holds agreements with Transcorp and Paras, remitted just part of what it owed.
Among the specific shortfalls highlighted, PARAS-CEET paid only $0.63 million of its $1.92 million invoice, TRANSCORP-SBEE (Afam 3) settled $0.3 million out of $1.73 million, and TRANSCORP-SBEE (Ughelli) paid $1.82 million against $4.97 million billed.
Meanwhile, both ODUKPANI-CEET and PARAS-SBEE made no payment at all.
In total, Nigeria invoiced $17.24 million to six international bilateral customers during the quarter, but only $5.8 million was recovered, a remittance rate of just 33.70 percent.
Niger Republic’s NIGELEC was the only international customer to fully settle its invoice, paying $3.03 million in full for supply from Mainstream Energy. In contrast, SBEE and CEET together left over $11 million unpaid.
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These payment failures reflect a broader pattern of weak remittance compliance from Nigeria’s international electricity customers, raising concerns about the financial health of its cross-border energy trade.
NERC has repeatedly warned that continued defaults could result in supply cuts, as the non-payments pose a serious threat to the stability of the country’s electricity market. On the domestic side, while some customers performed better, challenges persist.
MSTM/Inner Galaxy paid its N1.64 billion invoice in full, but others such as NDPHC/SUNFLAG, TAOPEX/KAM INT, TAOPEX/Kam Steel, and Sapele/Phoenix made no payments at all despite being invoiced hundreds of millions of naira.
NDPHC/WEEWOOD paid N71.74 million out of N104.03 million, NORTH SOUTH/STAR PIPE settled N21.51 million of N32.39 million, and Trans Amadi (OAU) and Trans Amadi (FMPI) jointly paid N23.57 million out of N35.98 million.
Alaoju GENCO/APLE made a partial payment of N100 million out of N455.36 million, reflecting a low remittance rate of 21.96 percent.
NERC also pointed out that Ajaokuta Steel Company, classified as a special customer, failed to make any payment on its N1.38 billion (NBET) and N134.05 million (MO) bills, continuing its long history of non-payment.
Experts warn that these ongoing defaults, both at home and across borders, could threaten the sustainability of Nigeria’s bilateral and special power supply arrangements.
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