Neighbouring countries’ power debt to Nigeria jumps to $14m
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Three neighbouring countries – Niger, Benin Republic, and Togo – are owing Nigeria $14.2 million in electricity bills for the first quarter of 2024 (Q1 2024).
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) disclosed this in its Q1 report 2024 and asked the Electricity Market Operator (MO) under the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to activate market rules to recover the debt.
Nigeria signed an agreement to supply power to these neighbours when the Kanji dam was built to generate electricity in the Yakubu Gowon years (1966 to 1975) so that these countries would not dam the River Nigeria upfront and enable it flow to the dam at full steam.
But the NERC is concerned the beneficiary countries fail to pay up debts.
“None of the four international bilateral customers being supplied by Generation Companies (Gencos) in the NESI made payment against the cumulative invoice of $14.19 million issued by the MO for services rendered in 2024/Q1,” the report said.
“As indicated in previous reports, the commission expects the MO to invoke the provision of the market rules to curtail the payment indiscipline being exhibited by local and international bilateral customers.”
The three countries owed N132.2 billion in bills from 2018 to the first quarter of 2023.
However, the report disclosed two international customers paid up cumulative arrears of $5.96 million.
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