Electricity distribution companies (DisCos) collected N1.2 trillion from customers in the first half of 2026, representing a 7.1 per cent increase over the N1.12 trillion recorded in the same period of 2025, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has reported.
The regulator disclosed this in its second-quarter 2026 report on the performance of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
NERC said the 11 DisCos collected N603.64 billion from N744.67 billion billed to customers during the second quarter, representing a collection efficiency of 81.06 per cent.
The figure was higher than the N597.56 billion collected in the first quarter, when the companies received 78.95 per cent of the N756.93 billion billed to customers.
Consequently, aggregate collection efficiency improved by 2.11 percentage points between the first and second quarters.
Benin DisCo posted the highest collection efficiency during the quarter at 92.68 per cent, followed by Ikeja at 92.20 per cent and Eko at 89.39 per cent.
Port Harcourt DisCo recorded 87.27 per cent, while Abuja and Ibadan recorded 83.45 per cent and 80.33 per cent respectively.
At the other end of the scale, Kano DisCo recorded the lowest collection efficiency at 47.74 per cent.
NERC said seven DisCos improved their collection efficiency between Q1 and Q2.
Enugu recorded the largest improvement at 9.03 percentage points, followed by Benin with 7.52 percentage points, Kaduna with 6.35, Port Harcourt with 6.05, Ibadan with 5.22, Abuja with 2.56 and Ikeja with 2.20 percentage points.
The commission said the remaining four DisCos recorded declines, with Kano posting the biggest drop at 15.02 percentage points.
International customers owe $10.17m
Meanwhile, three international bilateral customers in Togo, Benin Republic and Niger paid only $8.67 million out of $18.84 million billed for electricity supplied by generation companies during the second quarter.
NERC put the remittance performance at 46.02 per cent, leaving an outstanding balance of $10.17 million.
Domestic bilateral customers, however, paid N6.91 billion out of N7.55 billion invoiced by the market operator for electricity services during the quarter.
The payment represented a remittance performance of 91.54 per cent.
The regulator also disclosed that the three international customers paid a combined $10.33 million during Q2 to clear outstanding market operator invoices from the first quarter.
Société Béninoise d’Energie Electrique (SBEE) accounted for $7.01 million of the payment, comprising $3.30 million for Ughelli, $1.94 million for Paras and $1.77 million for Afam 3.
Paras – Compagnie Energie Electrique du Togo (CEET) paid $1.67 million, while Mainstream-Société Nigérienne d’Electricité (NIGELEC) remitted $1.65 million.
Ajaokuta Steel makes no payment
NERC further reported that Ajaokuta Steel Co. Ltd and its host community made no payment towards invoices issued by the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) and the market operator during Q2.
The special customer was billed N1.18 billion by NBET and a further N171.04 million by the market operator.
The commission said the failure to make any payment was consistent with a longstanding pattern of non-payment by the customer.
NERC said it had drawn the attention of relevant federal government authorities to the need for intervention over the outstanding electricity obligations.
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