Nigerians continue to face electricity shortages as about 9,536 megawatts of installed power generation capacity remains unavailable, according to the latest data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.
An operational report by the regulator showed that grid-connected plants had a total installed capacity of 13,625MW in March, but only 4,089MW was available for dispatch.
This reflects a plant availability factor of 30 percent, meaning nearly 70 percent of installed capacity remained idle.
For a population of over 200 million people, available electricity generation has hovered around 4,000MW for years.
It briefly rose to 5,000MW in 2025 following the commencement of operations at the Zungeru Hydroelectric Plant, but the gain was not sustained due to gas supply constraints and weak infrastructure.
Data from NERC shows that average hourly generation in March stood at 3,815MWh, indicating that while most available capacity was utilised, a significant portion of installed generation remained offline.
This was attributed to plant outages, maintenance limitations, fuel shortages, and other operational challenges.
The data further revealed that several power plants recorded zero availability despite having significant installed capacity. Alaoji_1, with 500MW installed capacity, generated no electricity during the period, while Omotosho_2, also with 500MW capacity, remained idle. Ibom Power, with 190MW installed capacity, likewise recorded no output.
Other stations, particularly those under the Niger Delta Power Holding Company of Nigeria, operated far below their potential.
Sapele Steam, with 720MW installed capacity, recorded just 2 per cent availability and averaged 7MWh/h in generation. Sapele_2, with 500MW capacity, posted 5 per cent availability and generated 19MWh/h.
Afam_1 generated 59MWh/h from an installed capacity of 726MW, operating at 11 per cent availability. Ihovbor_1 produced 43MWh/h from its 500MW capacity.
Geregu_1 recorded 37MWh/h from 435MW of installed capacity, while Omotosho_1 generated 40MWh/h from a 335MW capacity base.
Olorunsogo_1 generated 43MWh/h from an installed capacity of 335MW. The Rivers power plant, with 180MW installed capacity, recorded about 1 per cent availability and virtually no meaningful generation during the period.
In contrast, a small number of plants accounted for the bulk of electricity supplied to the grid.
The Egbin Power Plant, with an installed capacity of 1,320MW, generated 453MWh/h at 35 per cent availability. The facility, which previously supplied about 600–700MW to the grid, has been constrained by ongoing gas shortages.
Kainji generated 464MWh/h from 760MW installed capacity at 62 per cent availability, while Jebba produced 391MWh/h from 578MW capacity at 71 per cent availability.
Shiroro recorded 284MWh/h from 600MW installed capacity at 50 per cent availability, while Delta generated 343MWh/h from 900MW capacity. The new Zungeru hydro plant is also working below expectations, as it delivered 274MWh/h from 700MW installed capacity, while Okpai produced 258MWh/h from 480MW capacity.
Ihovbor_2 recorded one of the strongest performances, generating 432MWh/h with full availability. The report further showed that the top 10 energy-producing plants accounted for 84 per cent of total energy generated in March, underscoring the heavy reliance of the national grid on a few high-performing stations.
Despite an installed capacity of 13,625MW, Nigeria’s peak generation for the month remained significantly lower, underscoring long-standing challenges in the power sector. These include gas supply constraints, ageing infrastructure, maintenance-related outages, and broader operational inefficiencies.
The persistent gap between installed capacity and actual generation continues to constrain electricity supply to households and businesses, contributing to ongoing power outages across the country.
On Monday, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, said electricity generation improved between March 28 and April 10, 2026, following an increase in gas supply to thermal power plants.
