Nigeria has secured a major victory in its long-running arbitration dispute with Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited over the proposed Mambilla Hydropower Project.
Gatekeepers News reports that International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) tribunal in Paris ruled in favour of Nigeria on Thursday, dismissing Sunrise Power’s $2.35 billion claim against the Federal Government. The award was issued on September 17, 2026.
The dispute stemmed from a 2003 agreement involving the proposed 3,050-megawatt Mambilla hydropower project in Taraba State. Sunrise Power commenced arbitration proceedings at the ICC in 2017, seeking about $2.354 billion over an alleged breach of contract.
The tribunal also rejected a separate $400 million claim connected to a 2020 settlement agreement. The amount comprised a $200 million settlement sum and an additional $200 million default payment that Sunrise Power had sought from the Nigerian government.
In addition, the tribunal ruled that Leno Adesanya, promoter of Sunrise Power, was bound by the arbitration agreement and that it had jurisdiction over Nigeria’s counterclaim against him and his company.
Sunrise Power and Adesanya were ordered to reimburse Nigeria 75 percent of its legal fees and expenses incurred during the arbitration, amounting to about $11.82 million. Of the amount, $2.5 million is to be recovered from funds held in an ICC escrow account, while the remaining $9.32 million will attract 10 percent annual compound interest until fully paid.
The tribunal also fixed the arbitration costs at $1.6565 million, with Sunrise Power and Adesanya responsible for 75 percent and Nigeria responsible for the remaining 25 percent.
The Mambilla dispute has lasted for years and involved questions over the validity of the original contract and a subsequent settlement agreement.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo previously said he did not authorise the 2003 agreement with Sunrise Power, while former President Muhammadu Buhari said he did not approve the 2020 settlement agreement.
The proposed Mambilla project, which was structured as a build-operate-transfer arrangement, is intended to significantly expand Nigeria’s electricity generation capacity. The latest arbitration ruling brings a major development to the long-running dispute over the project.
