Company offers industrial users access to up to 20MW of reliable electricity as it pushes bilateral sales to tackle liquidity challenges and boost productivity.
The Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) has urged large industrial and commercial power users across Nigeria to take advantage of its Eligible Customer Programme, which allows bulk consumers to buy electricity directly from generation companies.
In a statement released on Sunday, the company said the initiative originally launched in 2017 and updated in 2024 was designed to provide a stable, reliable, and affordable power supply to high-energy-consuming organisations.
According to NDPHC, the programme allows approved customers to access up to six, 10, or 20 megawatts (MW) of electricity under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). Participants benefit from flexible pricing, negotiated tariffs, and improved supply reliability once they secure eligibility status from the regulator.
“With more than 2,000MW of stranded power capacity, NDPHC is intensifying efforts to optimise its generation assets by selling power directly to bulk users,” the company said. “This initiative is a key step towards resolving liquidity challenges and promoting industrial growth.”
A Strategic Step for Industrial Competitiveness
The company’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Jennifer Adighije, described the programme as a major step toward improving Nigeria’s industrial productivity and competitiveness.
“The eligible customer framework is designed to strengthen Nigeria’s industrial growth by guaranteeing efficient, reliable, and affordable electricity directly from our plants to businesses,” Adighije said. “Phoenix Steel Mills is a clear demonstration of how stable power translates into higher productivity, cost savings, and stronger value chains for the economy.”
She added that the positive results recorded by early participants have reinforced NDPHC’s commitment to expand the initiative to more industrial clusters nationwide.
Speaking in a recent interview, Adighije said the company has also begun exploring embedded and bilateral power sales to serve eligible customers directly, especially in areas where transmission constraints limit power evacuation through the national grid.
“It is unsustainable to rely solely on the centralised electricity market, which continues to face chronic revenue shortfalls, market defaults, and liquidity crises,” she stated.
Adighije explained that NDPHC has initiated a gradual but deliberate shift toward bilateral power sales, targeting large and creditworthy customers approved as eligible under the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) framework.
“Over the past year, we have made meaningful progress in identifying and engaging large, creditworthy electricity consumers who qualify as eligible customers,” she said. “We are establishing bilateral agreements that allow us to sell power directly to these customers at cost-reflective tariffs.”
She added that the strategy aims to strengthen NDPHC’s revenue base, improve liquidity, and shield the company from inefficiencies in the centralised electricity market.
“We have prioritised bilateral power sales as a strategic alternative, targeting customers who can pay cost-reflective tariffs directly to us,” she noted.
Driving Industrial Growth Through Energy Access
NDPHC believes that expanding the Eligible Customer Programme and bilateral sales framework will not only improve its financial sustainability but also enhance industrial output, create jobs, and boost investor confidence in the nation’s power sector.
The initiative aligns with the federal government’s broader goal of ensuring energy access for productive use as part of Nigeria’s Renewed Hope Agenda for economic transformation.