Nigeria’s electricity distribution companies raked in ₦553.63 billion in Q1 2025, despite
ongoing complaints over poor power supply, erratic billing, and frequent outages.
According to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission’s Q1 2025 report, this marks an ₦43.79 billion (8.59%) increase from the ₦509.84 billion collected in Q4 2024.
The revenue growth came amid continued grid instability and inconsistent electricity supply.
While power generation rose slightly from 9,289.95 GWh in Q4 2024 to 10,304.47 GWh in
Q1 2025, the gain was minimal compared to national demand, with significant losses during
transmission or unbilled usage.
The report shows that DisCos received 8,169 GWh from the grid in Q1 2025 but only billed
customers for 6,631.92 GWh, causing billing efficiency to drop from 83.66% to 81.18%.
Collection efficiency also declined to 74.39%, meaning nearly ₦191 billion in billed revenue
went unrecovered. Overall aggregate technical, commercial, and collection (ATC&C) losses surged to 39.61%, well above the industry benchmark of 20.54%.
Despite these inefficiencies and ongoing service complaints, DisCos still managed to boost
revenue, even as customers expressed frustration over paying more for unreliable power.
While the quarter recorded no grid collapse, system trippings left many consumers without
electricity.
NERC reported that, for the first time in recent quarters, Nigeria’s national grid experienced
no system collapses between January and March 2025.
NERC reported that there were no system disturbances on the national grid in Q1 2025 a
significant improvement after years of recurring collapses that often led to nationwide
blackouts and economic disruptions. In 2024 alone, the grid collapsed 12 times.
However, the commission noted persistent breaches of key technical standards.
It flagged frequency instability, with the average lower daily frequency at 49.28Hz and the
upper at 50.77Hz both outside the permitted range of 49.75Hz to 50.25Hz warning that such deviations could damage industrial equipment and affect grid stability.
Voltage levels were also outside acceptable limits. The average lower daily voltage stood at
296.56kV and the upper at 346.82kV, compared to the grid code limits of 313.50kV (lower)
and 346.50kV (upper).
