Nigeria’s 11 electricity distribution companies recorded an ₦83.15 billion billing gap in July 2026, highlighting persistent commercial losses across the power sector despite ongoing efforts to improve revenue collection and electricity-market efficiency.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission said the DisCos received electricity valued at ₦333.94 billion during the month but billed customers only ₦250.79 billion, leaving ₦83.15 billion worth of supplied electricity outside their billing records.
The figures were contained in NERC’s July 2026 Commercial Performance of Distribution Companies factsheet released on Thursday.
As a result, the industry’s overall billing efficiency stood at 75.1 per cent, meaning roughly one-quarter of the value of electricity supplied to the distribution companies was not converted into customer bills.
Another ₦45.26bn Goes Uncollected
The commercial challenge continued even after customers were billed.
Out of ₦250.79 billion in bills issued during July, the 11 DisCos collected ₦205.53 billion, leaving ₦45.26 billion outstanding.
That translated into an industry-wide collection efficiency of 81.95 per cent.
The two figures represent different stages of revenue leakage within the electricity value chain.
The ₦83.15 billion billing gap measures the difference between electricity received by the distributors and what they successfully billed to customers, while the ₦45.26 billion collection gap represents bills already issued but not converted into cash.
Both indicators are important because revenue collected by distribution companies ultimately supports payments across the electricity value chain, including obligations to generation and transmission companies.
Abuja Records Largest Collection Gap
Performance also differed considerably between individual distribution companies.
Abuja Electricity Distribution Company recorded the largest collection gap during the month. It collected ₦35.62 billion from ₦43.96 billion billed, leaving ₦8.34 billion outstanding.
Kano DisCo followed, collecting ₦8.26 billion from bills worth ₦15.66 billion and leaving approximately ₦7.4 billion uncollected.
The latest figures reinforce the commercial challenge facing Nigeria’s electricity industry, where improving generation alone does not guarantee stronger sector finances unless distributors can accurately account for energy supplied and recover payments from customers.
Reducing technical and commercial losses, expanding metering and strengthening collections therefore remain central to improving liquidity across the electricity market.
