The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission stated in its first quarter report that Niger currently owes Nigeria N4.22bn ($5.48m: $/N769.27 exchange rate) in relation to power supply.
According to the report, the Nigerien Electricity Society, the state-owned power company of Niger, has yet to fulfill the payment of the $5.48 million invoice for the power supplied by the Nigerian market operator.
“None of the under listed international customers made any payment against the cumulative $16.11m invoice issued to them in 2023/Q1; Paras-SBEE ($3.46m), Transcorp-SBEE ($3.85 million), Mainstream-NIGELEC ($5.48m) and Odukpani-CEET ($3.32 million).
“Out of N842.38m invoice issued by MO to all the eight (8) bilateral customers in the NESI, only North-South/Star Pipe made a remittance of N15.38m against its invoice of N24.69m.”
The underlisted customers referred to in the report are Paras-SBEE and Transcorp-SBEE both from the Benin Republic; Mainstream-NIGELEC from Niger; and Odukpani-CEET from Togo, indicating that Benin and Togo also owe Nigeria in relation to power supply.
In response, the NERC has directed the Market Operator to invoke the provisions of the market regulations to curb the payment irregularities exhibited by the diverse market participants.
News Central recently reported that the transmission of electricity from Nigeria to the Republic of Niger was terminated on August 2. During the past week, ECOWAS, led by President Bola Tinubu, reached a consensus to impose sanctions on military personnel in Niger who orchestrated the coup d’état that ousted President-elect Mohamed Bazoum.
In accordance with a report from NIGELEC, Niger’s primary electricity supplier, approximately 70 percent of Niger’s electricity supply in 2022 was secured through purchases from the Nigerian enterprise Mainstream. The electricity supplied to Niger is generated at the Kainji Dam, situated in Niger State. However, in a bid to lessen its reliance on energy imports from Nigeria, Niger is diligently progressing toward completing its inaugural dam by 2025. Positioned about 180 kilometres upstream from Niamey, the Kainji Dam is projected to yield an annual electricity output of 629 gigawatt-hours.
Major urban centres in Niger are grappling with intermittent power outages following the recent coup. Residents of Niamey, Maradi, and Zinder experience an hour of electricity before enduring up to five hours of blackouts. Such disruptions in power supply are anomalous in Niger, a nation that traditionally enjoys consistent and dependable energy provisions.