Nigeria’s lingering power outages, which have persisted for weeks are primarily due to inadequate gas supply to thermal power plants, the Nigerian Independent System Operator announced on Friday.
In a statement titled “Declining Power Output Attributable to Generation Shortfalls and Gas Supply Limitations,” released on its official X handle, the system operator attributed the sustained drop in electricity generation to severe fuel constraints affecting the national grid.
It explained that average available generation currently hovers around 4,300 megawatts, far below the country’s installed capacity.
According to the statement, the lingering power outages began in early February following a scheduled maintenance exercise on key gas supply infrastructure by Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and Seplat Energy, which temporarily disrupted gas deliveries to several thermal power plants and triggered a nationwide drop in electricity generation.
It noted that the situation has since persisted due to continued constraints in gas supply, worsening the power shortfall across the country.
The statement added that the development is directly linked to severe gas constraints affecting thermal generating stations, which account for the dominant share of Nigeria’s electricity generation mix.
“We hereby notify the general public and all market participants that the current average available generation of approximately 4,300MW is primarily due to inadequate gas supply to thermal generating stations,” the operator stated.
It stressed that because thermal plants form the backbone of grid supply, any disruption in gas availability automatically translates into lower generation and weaker energy allocation to Distribution Companies.
“Given that thermal plants account for the dominant share of Nigeria’s generation mix, any disruption or limitation in gas supply directly affects available generation capacity and overall grid output,” the statement read.
With supply falling short of demand, NISO confirmed that it has been compelled to implement load shedding to stabilise the grid.
“When total system generation drops significantly, the Independent System Operator must implement load shedding across the system, while dispatching available energy in line with the NERC MYTO allocation percentages across all distribution networks to maintain grid stability and prevent system disturbances,” the statement added.
The operator expressed regret over the inconvenience to electricity consumers and market participants but assured that it is engaging relevant stakeholders to restore supply levels.
“While we regret the inconvenience this situation may cause electricity consumers and affected market participants, we will continue to work closely with relevant stakeholders to ensure full energy allocation as soon as gas supply improves and generation capacity is restored,” it stated.
GIK/APA