Nigelec

What Nigelec does

NIGELEC (Société Nigérienne d'Électricité) is the state-owned, vertically integrated electricity utility of the Republic of Niger, operating under a national concession since 1952. It holds the exclusive mandate to produce, transmit, and distribute electricity across all eight regions of Niger, serving more than 768,000 subscribers through 74 local agencies in 180 communes. Customers span residential households, commercial and industrial users, government administrations, mining operators (notably SONICHAR, SOMAIR, and COMINAK in the Aïr region), and essential services such as healthcare, water pumping, and telecom base stations.

The company's technology base rests on a generation mix of thermal (diesel) plants, solar PV installations, and hybrid (thermal + solar + storage) power plants delivering over 200 MW of installed capacity. Electricity is moved across a national high-voltage transmission network totaling 1,334 km — comprising 882.40 km of 132 kV lines and 451.70 km of 66 kV lines — feeding 19 source substations. The grid is interconnected with Nigeria's Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) via two 132 kV lines (Birnin-kebbi–Niamey and Katsina–Gazaoua), and the utility is participating in the WAPP North Backbone 330 kV regional interconnection project linking Nigeria, Niger, Benin, and Burkina Faso. Recent capacity additions include the 30 MWc Gorou Banda solar PV plant (commissioned November 2023, co-financed by the EU and AFD at €30 million) and a 22.5 MW thermal plant at Niamey II donated by the King of Morocco and implemented with Morocco's ONEE (June 2024), with a 30 MW Goudel thermal plant under construction by Jiangsu Jianghaoi targeting September 2025 commissioning.

NIGELEC earns revenue primarily through regulated, ARSE-set tariffs consisting of a fixed monthly prime plus tiered consumption charges, available under both postpaid and prepaid metering, supplemented by one-time connection fees and service charges for repairs and reconnection. Customer billing and payment collection is increasingly digitized: subscribers self-serve through the Espace Clients portal and an auto-relevé index submission system, while payments are accepted via agency counters and a network of partners including ZEYNA (500+ outlets), ZAMANI Telecom, Airtel Money, Moov Africa, Niger Poste, Ecobank, and Sonibank. Active donor-funded programs — NESAP, NELACEP/NELACEP II, BEST, RANA, and CNE 1157 — channel World Bank, BAD, AFD, and EU financing into capacity expansion and rural electrification. In June 2025 the Nigerien State completed the full nationalization of the utility and dissolved the prior Board of Directors, consolidating direct state ownership of the country's sole power provider.

Name

Nigelec

Legal name

SOCIETE NIGERIENNE D'ELECTRICITE - NIGELEC

Website

https://nigelec.ne

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

NIGELEC is the state-owned vertically integrated electricity utility of Niger, generating, transmitting, and distributing power to 768,000+ subscribers across 180 communes and 74 agencies through thermal, solar, and hybrid power plants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electricity Utility Services

NAICS

Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211), Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112), Electric Power Distribution (221122)

akta.pro primary industry

Investor-Owned Electric Distribution Utilities (IOUs) (EUADABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

National & Regional TSOs (ISO/RTO/Grid Operators) (EUADAAAA), Remote & Islanded Oil/Diesel Power Generation (Off-Grid, Mini-Grids) (EUACACAG)

Keywords

• Electricity utility services
• Electricity generation
• Power transmission grid
• Electricity distribution
• Rural electrification

Headquarters

HQ city

Niamey

HQ country

Niger

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Electricity Sales: Revenue from electricity consumption charges billed to subscribers. Billing is monthly based on meter readings, with fixed monthly prime and tiered consumption tariffs regulated by ARSE.
2. Connection/Branchement Fees: Fees charged for new electricity connections (branchements) from the distribution network to subscriber delivery points.
3. Service Charges (Troubleshooting, Reconnection): Fees for maintenance interventions, troubleshooting, and reconnection services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NIGELEC is the state-owned electricity utility of Niger, operating a vertically integrated model of electricity production, transport (transmission), and distribution. It generates electricity through thermal, solar PV, and hybrid power plants; transmits it via a 1,334 km national high-voltage grid (132 kV/66 kV); and distributes it to over 768,000 subscribers across 180 communes and 74 agencies. NIGELEC also provides customer-facing services including new connections (branchements), subscriptions, billing, troubleshooting, and prepaid/postpaid metering.

Product overview

NIGELEC (Société Nigérienne d'Electricité) is a state-owned electricity utility serving Niger since 1952, operating a vertically integrated model encompassing electricity Production, Transport, and Distribution as its core offerings. The company produces over 200 MW of power and serves 768,000+ subscribers across 180 communes through 74 agencies. NIGELEC's product portfolio centers on these three core services supported by multiple project initiatives including the World Bank-funded NESAP and NELACEP/NELACEP II programs, AFD-supported CNE 1157/Gorou Banda solar project (30 MWc), and the World Bank BEST project for battery energy storage. The company also offers customer-facing services including new connections (Branchement), subscriptions (Abonnement), repairs (Depannage), billing, and self-meter reading (Auto-Releve).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electricity Production
• Electricity Transport (High-Voltage Transmission)
• Electricity Distribution
• Branchement (New Connection Service)
• Nouvel Abonnement (New Subscription)
• Depannage (Repair / Troubleshooting)

Quantifiable outcome

• 768,000+ subscribers served across 180 communes
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ZEYNA / ZEYNA CASHminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 4 October 2024Newest payment partner launched October 2024, providing 500+ agency outlets and mobile app (ZEYNA CASH) for NIGELEC bill payments. Service offered free to NIGELEC subscribers.
• ONEE (Office National de l'Eau et de l'Energie, Morocco)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 30 June 2024Don of 22.5 MW power plant from the King of Morocco to Niger. ONEE technicians worked with NIGELEC teams to commission the plant in under one month at Niamey II site (Zone Industrielle Gamkallé).
• WAPP / EEEOA (West African Power Pool / Système d'Échanges d'Énergie Électrique Ouest Africain)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIGELEC participates in the WAPP North Backbone 330 kV interconnection project connecting Nigeria–Niger–Benin–Burkina Faso. Also involved in WAPP Sub-Saharan Africa Solar Parks Development Project (RSP).
• SONIBANKminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBanking partner for bill payment collection services to NIGELEC subscribers.
• AIRTEL MONEYminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMobile money partner enabling NIGELEC bill payment and electronic recharge services.
• MOOV AFRICAminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMobile operator partner for NIGELEC bill payment and electronic recharge services.
• ZAMANI TELECOMminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTelecom partner providing NIGELEC bill payment and electronic recharge services.
• Niger PosteminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational postal service partner for NIGELEC bill payment collection.
• ECOBANKminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBanking partner for NIGELEC bill payment collection services.
• ALIZZA TRANSFERTminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMoney transfer partner enabling NIGELEC bill payment and electronic recharge.
• NITA TRANSFERTminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMoney transfer partner for NIGELEC bill payment and electronic recharge.
• AMANA TRANSFERTminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMoney transfer partner for NIGELEC bill payment collection.
• SONICHAR (Société Nigérienne de Charbon)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMining company in Arlit collaborating with NIGELEC on emergency power line restoration, mobilizing 100+ personnel to repair 7 fallen pylônes in the Aïr region.
• SOMAIR (Société Minérale Airoute)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMining company providing 500 kVA generator to NIGELEC Arlit for essential services during power infrastructure repair in the Aïr region.
• Istithmar West AfricaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate power producer operating 60 MW thermal plant at Goudel (5 groups operational). Supplements NIGELEC generation capacity for Niamey supply. One group currently under maintenance awaiting spare part.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SOMELEC (Société Mauritanienne d'Électricité): Mauritania's state-owned integrated electric utility with a similar Sahel customer base, diesel-heavy generation mix, and dependence on regional interconnection — directly comparable in scale and operating environment to NIGELEC.
• CEET (Compagnie Energie Electrique du Togo): Togo's national electric utility, also interconnected via the West African Power Pool, operating a generation-transmission-distribution model in a low-income market similar to NIGELEC's.
• CIE (Compagnie Ivoirienne d'Électricité): Côte d'Ivoire's electric distribution concessionaire under state oversight, with a comparable vertically integrated concession model and West African market characteristics.
• EDM-SA (Énergie du Mali): Mali's state-owned national electric utility operating generation, transmission, and distribution across a low-income Sahel market — closely matching NIGELEC's vertically integrated structure and fuel import exposure.
• SONABEL (Société Nationale d'Électricité du Burkina Faso): Burkina Faso's national electric utility, partner with NIGELEC in the WAPP North Backbone 330 kV interconnection project, with a comparable concessional utility model and donor-financed expansion pipeline.
• VRA (Volta River Authority): Ghana's state-owned generation utility, comparable in its state ownership, donor-funded generation expansion, and participation in regional West African power markets.
• SBEE (Société Béninoise d'Énergie Électrique): Benin's state-owned electric utility and WAPP member, with comparable scale, mixed thermal/renewable generation mix, and similar donor-funded rural electrification projects.
• Senelec: Senegal's vertically integrated national electricity utility, comparable in business model (generation, transmission, distribution under state concession), West African market context, and reliance on imported fuel plus donor-financed solar expansion.
• ECG (Electricity Company of Ghana): Ghana's state-affiliated distribution utility, comparable in operating a regulated distribution business serving hundreds of thousands of subscribers under a national concession framework.

Broad incumbents

• TCN (Transmission Company of Nigeria): Nigeria's national transmission system operator — directly comparable as the counterparty to NIGELEC's two 132 kV cross-border interconnections and a fellow WAPP member managing high-voltage transmission infrastructure at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NIGELEC_SA
• Facebookfacebook.com/nigelecofficiel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nigelec