Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) across Nigeria recorded an improved collection efficiency of 77.44 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024 and generated ₦509.8 billion in revenue out of the ₦658.40 billion billed to customers during the period.
The figure represents a 2.89 percentage point increase from the 74.55 percent efficiency recorded in the third quarter, where ₦466.6 billion was collected from a total billing of ₦626 billion.
Eko Electricity Distribution Company led with a collection efficiency of 90.00 percent followed by Ikeja Electric with 82.63 percent.
On the other end of the performance spectrum, Jos DisCo posted the lowest efficiency rate at 49.68 percent.
The Q4 2024 performance report by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) revealed that eight out of the eleven DisCos recorded improvements in their collection efficiency during the quarter.
Yola DisCo recorded the most progress with a 13.93 percentage point increase, followed by Kano DisCo with a 9.88 percentage point gain.
However, three DisCos reported declines in performance, with Jos and Abuja DisCos experiencing the most notable drops of 3.61 and 3.39 percentage points, respectively.
Despite the improvements in revenue collection, power generation across the national grid declined in the same period. Average hourly generation dropped by 1.7 percent from 4,280.24 megawatt-hours per hour (MWh/h) in Q3 to 4,207.41 MWh/h in Q4.
This translated into a total generation decline from 9,450.76 gigawatt-hours (GWh) to 9,289.95 GWh in Q4.
The reduction in generation was attributed to a combination of operational challenges, fuel supply constraints, and limited investment in grid infrastructure.
NERC explained that it is important to address structural issues across the electricity value chain to ensure sustainable improvements in both revenue collection and power availability.
The commission also highlighted the need for consistent investment in transmission and generation capacity to close the widening demand-supply gap in the market.
