- DisCos paid N137.06 billion to TCN in the first nine months of 2024, leaving an outstanding balance of N25.64 billion.
- Remittance performance declined over the quarters, with the third quarter showing a 76.88% rate.
- TCN announced planned power rationing in parts of Abuja from January 6 to 20 due to a road project requiring tower relocations.
The 11 electricity distribution companies (DisCos) in Nigeria paid the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) N137.06 billion in the first nine months of 2024. This payment covers transmission and administrative charges despite the persistent instability in the country’s grid infrastructure, which collapsed more than 12 times last year.
The market operator billed the DisCos N162.7 billion for electricity delivered during this period. The DisCos paid N137.06 billion of this amount, leaving an outstanding balance of N25.64 billion.
In the first quarter of 2024, DisCos remitted N45.10 billion from a total invoice of N48.16 billion. This resulted in a remittance performance of 93.64%, marking a significant improvement from the 69.66% recorded in the fourth quarter of 2023 when DisCos remitted N32.55 billion from a bill of N46.73 billion.
Ikeja and Ibadan DisCos recorded the highest remittance rates in Q1, at 105.79% and 100%, respectively. In contrast, Kaduna and Yola DisCos had the lowest rates, at 47.54% and 46.39%.
DisCos remitted N46.78 billion in the second quarter from a total invoice of N55.77 billion. This lowered the remittance rate to 83.88%, a 9.76% decline from the first quarter. Yola and Eko DisCos led with remittance rates of 149.99% and 95.92%, respectively.
However, Kaduna DisCo’s performance dropped sharply to 21.84%. Jos, Kaduna, and Kano DisCos saw the most significant declines in performance, with drops of 32.77%, 25.70%, and 22.40%, respectively.
The third quarter saw further declines in remittance performance, dropping to 76.88%. Ikeja, Abuja, and Yola DisCos recorded the highest performances, with remittance rates of 94.80%, 87.42%, and 86.34%, respectively. Kaduna DisCo again posted the lowest performance at 16.94%.
In a separate development, TCN announced power rationing in parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) due to road dualisation projects along the Apo axis. The power rationing will affect the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) customers from January 6 to January 21, 2025.
The affected areas include Kubwa, Karu, Maraba, Nyanya, Masaka, Keffi, Kukwaba, and Apo Mechanic. Other areas, such as Lugbe, Trademore Estate, Pyakasa, and Sabon Lugbe, will also face disruptions.
Mrs. Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s General Manager of Public Affairs, explained that the power rationing became necessary to relocate eight 132-kilovolt (kV) and 33kV towers along the Kukwaba/Apo 132kV line. The relocation supports the ongoing road dualisation project by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).
The planned outage will occur daily between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., beginning on January 6 and lasting until January 21. This schedule allows for the dismantling and construction of new transmission towers and the restringing of power cables. Once completed, the work will ensure the resumption of bulk power supply to the Apo Transmission Substation from the Gwagwalada Substation.
Mbah reassured customers that power would be restored promptly once the tower relocation and cable stringing work finished. TCN apologised for any inconvenience caused by the planned outage.