ICC Rejects $680m Sunrise Power Claim, Clearing Major Hurdle To Mambilla Project

An International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration tribunal in Paris has ruled in favour of Nigeria, rejecting a $680 million claim brought by Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited over disputes linked to the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project in Taraba State.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in a statement issued on Thursday, September 17, 2026, said the tribunal’s award represented a major legal victory for Nigeria in the long-running dispute surrounding the 3,960-megawatt Mambilla project.

Sunrise had sought $680 million as a settlement sum and interest in connection with a separate arbitration in which the company is claiming more than $2.7 billion in compensation and interest over disputes associated with the development of the project.

According to Tinubu, the latest ruling clears what he described as the “single biggest legal hurdle” that had stalled the Mambilla hydropower project for years.

The President commended Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, and officials of the Federal Ministry of Justice for their handling of the case. He also praised Nigeria’s defence team, led by Elizabeth Oger-Gross and Tolu Obamuroh of Paul Hastings LLP, for their representation of the country before the tribunal.

Tinubu also acknowledged the contributions of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, who testified in the proceedings, as well as former Ministers of Power Babatunde Raji Fashola and Suleiman Adamu and other witnesses and experts.

The President said the dispute dates back to a 2003 contract for the construction of a 3,050-megawatt hydroelectric plant in Taraba State under a build-operate-transfer arrangement. He said the contract had not received the approval of the Federal Executive Council.

He further commended the National Security Adviser for his support and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for its investigation into the matter.

Tinubu said the ruling would not affect Nigeria’s commitment to legitimate investors and its legal obligations, but stressed that the government would continue to defend the country’s interests against claims it considers opportunistic.

The Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project is planned as a major power-generation project in Taraba State. The President’s statement did not provide details on the tribunal’s reasoning or indicate the next steps toward resolving the separate arbitration involving the larger compensation claim.