Togo, Niger, Benin Owe Nigeria $20m for Power Supply in Six Months

International electricity customers from neighbouring West African countries, Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique (SBEE) of Benin, Compagnie Energie Electrique du Togo (CEET) of Togo, and Société Nigerienne d’Electricité (NIGELEC) of Niger Republic, collectively owe Nigeria $19.97 million for electricity supplied during the first half of 2025.

According to data released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), these customers paid $14.81 million out of the $34.78 million billed to them by market operators in the first and second quarters of the year.

A breakdown of the figures shows that Paras-SBEE made no payment against invoices of $2.42 million and $2.77 million for Q1 and Q2, respectively. Paras-CEET paid $0.63 million out of a $1.92 million invoice in Q1 and failed to remit any payment from its $2.02 million bill in Q2. NERC expressed concern over the persistent non-payment trend and called for the intervention of relevant federal authorities.

Domestically, Nigerian electricity consumers also recorded huge payment defaults, accumulating debts of N368.26 billion between January and June 2025. Within this period, the 11 Distribution Companies (DisCos) collected N1.11 trillion out of N1.48 trillion billed to customers.

Meanwhile, in a development aligned with Nigeria’s energy transition and industrialisation agenda, Genesis Energy, a pan-African clean energy infrastructure firm, has partnered with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to distribute excess power generated from the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) to the national grid.

The announcement came during a working visit by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, to Genesis Energy’s 84MW independent off-grid power facility located within the PHRC complex in Eleme, Rivers State. The plant, Nigeria’s largest licensed private off-grid clean power facility, supplies energy to the refinery, boosting operational efficiency and reducing reliance on diesel and unstable grid supply.

Adelabu praised Genesis Energy’s operational standards, reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to fostering private sector investment in the power sector.

> “We are determined to attract investors to support our mission of providing uninterrupted, reliable electricity to industries, businesses, and households,” he stated.

“A robust policy and regulatory framework is already in place to guarantee investor confidence, ensure fair returns, and promote sustainable growth. This partnership will serve as a model for integrating excess power into the national grid and could expand by an additional 120MW after the pilot phase.”

The Minister further pledged the Federal Government’s support to accelerate transmission infrastructure and establish commercial arrangements to facilitate seamless power distribution from the PHRC facility to the national grid.

The Genesis Energy–NNPCL collaboration represents a key milestone in Nigeria’s effort to optimise local power generation, enhance grid stability, and expand access to affordable, clean energy across the country.