By Olayiwola Mercy
it’s all about how the distribution companies (DisCos) only managed to wheel 5,506 MW of the 13,625 MW that was available to consumers in October, according to NERC. In other words, less than half of the power that could have reached households and businesses actually made it through the grid.
“Wheeling” is basically the process of moving electricity from generators onto the transmission network and then down to the end‑user. When the numbers show such a big gap, it points to a serious issue with losses – both technical and commercial – that are eating up a huge chunk of the supply.
NERC’s latest reports paint a similar picture across the board. In the first quarter of 2025 the overall billing efficiency was only about 81 %, meaning roughly one‑fifth of the energy delivered wasn’t being billed to customers. At the same time, the aggregate technical, commercial and collection (ATC&C) loss hit 39.6 %, far above the 20 % target, which translates to roughly N200 billion in revenue that never reached the utilities .
What’s even more striking is that the collection efficiency has been slipping too – from 77 % in Q4 2024 down to around 74 % in Q1 2025. So not only is a lot of power being lost, but a good portion of what does get billed isn’t being paid for either .
The performance isn’t uniform across all DisCos. Eko and Ikeja are consistently topping the charts with better metering rates and collection efficiencies, while places like Kaduna, Jos and Yola are lagging behind, showing the stark regional disparities in the sector .
