Nigeria has won a $2.354bn arbitration brought by Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited over the proposed Mambilla Hydropower Project in Taraba State.
The International Chamber of Commerce International Court of Arbitration in Paris ruled in Nigeria’s favour on Thursday, September 17, 2026, in the dispute over the 3,050-megawatt project.
The case dates to a 2003 agreement under which Sunrise claimed rights to develop Mambilla under a build, operate and transfer arrangement.
Sunrise commenced arbitration on October 10, 2017, challenging the Federal Government’s subsequent handling of the project and its engagement of Sinohydro Corporation Limited, a Chinese company involved in the proposed development.
The parties reached a settlement on January 21, 2020, under which Nigeria agreed to pay Sunrise $200m and restore it as the project’s local content partner.
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The agreement was not implemented, leading Sunrise to file a separate $400m arbitration claim in 2021. That proceeding is distinct from the $2.354bn case decided on Thursday.
The Mambilla project has been delayed for years by contractual, financing and legal disputes. Its planned 3,050MW capacity would make it one of Nigeria’s largest hydropower facilities.
The dispute has also featured in Nigerian courts. In 2024, the Federal High Court in Abuja stopped the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from prosecuting Sunrise promoter Leno Adesanya over matters connected with the project while related contractual issues were before the ICC.
Separately, former Minister of Power and Steel, Olu Agunloye, is facing EFCC charges over the award of the Mambilla contract. He has pleaded not guilty.
Thursday’s ruling concerns only the $2.354bn arbitration and does not determine the separate settlement-related claim or the domestic criminal proceedings.