EPILEPTIC POWER: DISCOs’ revenue rises 16.5 % to N193.96bn

By Ediri Ejoh

The Distribution Companies of Nigeria, DISCOs,  recorded 16.5 per cent, year-on-year YoY summation successful revenue  to N193.96 cardinal successful July 2025 from N162 cardinal successful the corresponding play of 2024.

The summation successful gross is amidst kick of mediocre powerfulness proviso by galore consumers including homes and businesses owed to alleged inefficiency of the DISCOs  and inability of the Transmission Company of Nigeria  to instrumentality astir 16,384 MW installed powerfulness procreation capableness from the Generation companies, GENCOs.

In its latest study obtained by Vanguard, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, disclosed that  full gross collected by the DISCOs  stood astatine N193.96 cardinal adjacent arsenic the authorities continues to subsidise powerfulness supply.

According to the report, the full worth for vigor received stood astatine N300.04 billion, leaving vigor billed and existent mean postulation per kilowatts, KWh astatine N243.14 cardinal and N89.30, respectively. 

Also, it noted that this translated to 81.04 per cent, 79.77 per cent and 76.82 per cent billing efficiency, postulation ratio and betterment efficiency, respectively.

Reacting to the development, Adetayo Adegbemle, Convener and Executive Director of PowerUp Nigeria, a powerfulness user advocacy group, lamented the nation’s mediocre powerfulness proviso and called for an extremity to energy subsidies.

He explained: “Historically, the Nigerian authorities has paid energy subsidies to the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI). This means determination is simply a cost-reflective tariff for supplying 1kWh (kilowatt-hour) and an allowed tariff that consumers are permitted to pay.

“This variance, different called a ‘subsidy,’ has present turned into an elephant successful a china shop. It stems from authorities payment policies intended to enactment consumers who cannot spend the existent outgo of power.”

He added that though subsidies purpose to support economical stableness and forestall societal unrest, they person go a immense load connected authorities finances. Between 2015 and 2020, tariff shortfalls reportedly reached N2.4 trillion, averaging N200 cardinal yearly, portion successful 2022 alone, implicit N600 cardinal was paid. The fig was projected to deed N1 trillion successful 2024.

Adegbemle noted that nether the 2022 Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO), the cost-reflective tariff averaged N68.42/kWh, portion the allowed tariff was N59.89/kWh, with the Federal Government covering N8.53/kWh arsenic subsidy. Between January and March 2023 alone, subsidies totaling N52.7 cardinal were paid to the 11 DisCos.

The station EPILEPTIC POWER: DISCOs’ gross rises 16.5 % to N193.96bn appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.