Nigeria’s electricity distribution companies, DisCos, collected ₦603.64 billion in revenue in the second quarter of 2026, despite recording aggregate technical, commercial and collection losses of 36 per cent.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, disclosed this in its operational and commercial performance report for the second quarter of 2026, released on Wednesday.
According to the report, the distribution companies billed customers ₦744.67 billion for electricity supplied between April and June 2026, representing a billing efficiency of 79 per cent.
However, the companies collected ₦603.64 billion from the amount billed, translating to a collection efficiency of 81 per cent.
NERC also reported that the average actual Aggregate Technical, Commercial and Collection, ATC&C, loss recorded by the DisCos stood at 36 per cent, significantly higher than the approved average target of 16.92 per cent.
ATC&C losses reflect the combined impact of technical losses, such as electricity lost during transmission and distribution, commercial losses arising from issues including energy theft and inaccurate billing, as well as revenue losses resulting from customers’ failure to pay for electricity consumed.
Despite the high losses, the distribution companies recorded an overall market remittance rate of 94 per cent during the quarter. They paid ₦385.44 billion out of the invoices issued by the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc, NBET, and the Market Operator.
On metering, the report showed that the DisCos metered an additional 350,270 customers during the three-month period, bringing Nigeria’s national electricity metering rate to 62 per cent.
The development represents further progress in efforts to expand metering coverage, which is expected to improve billing transparency and reduce disputes between electricity providers and consumers.
Meanwhile, grid-connected power plants recorded a plant load factor of 90 per cent during the quarter, generating an average hourly output of 4,022.40 megawatt-hours.
READ ALSO: The plant load factor measures the actual electricity generated by a power plant relative to its maximum potential output over a given period.
On regulatory activities, NERC disclosed that it issued 64 regulatory instruments during the quarter in the exercise of its statutory powers under the Electricity Act 2023.
The report provides an overview of developments in Nigeria’s electricity supply industry, including revenue collection, distribution efficiency, market remittances, metering and power generation.
The figures highlight the continuing challenges facing the distribution segment of the electricity market, particularly the gap between revenue billed and revenue collected, as well as the need to reduce technical and commercial losses across the sector.
