The national grid received a boost in power generation in 2024 following the addition of the Zungeru Power plant. Data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) indicates that 28 grid-connected electricity generation plants generated an average of 5,237 megawatts (MW) of electricity in December 2024, after decades of hovering around 4,000MW.
The Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Plant was integrated into the national grid on May 3, 2024, contributing an additional 624MW to the power supply.
The integration marked a boost in Nigeria’s energy landscape, supporting the growing industrial sector and increasing demand for reliable electricity. It also pushed total national grid capacity to over 5,000 MW, enhancing electricity supply across the country.
The Zungeru plant, built with a $1.3 billion investment and supported by Chinese firms, is expected to generate 2.64 billion kWh annually, meeting nearly 10 per cent of Nigeria’s energy needs. The project is anticipated to foster economic development and improve energy access in the region.
Data on the operational performance of power plants released by NERC, highlighted that the 28 plants achieved only a 38 per cent availability factor despite their cumulative installed capacity of 13,625MW.
The report showed that larger power plants, including Egbin ST, Delta GS, Kainji, Shell’s Afam VI, Zungeru, Odukpani, Shiroro, Jebba, Okpai, Azura IPP, and Geregu, contributed 3,974MW on average—accounting for 75 per cent of the total energy generated in December.
Egbin ST and Kainji emerged as the highest producers, with average outputs of 671MW and 505MW respectively, while Jebba followed with 454MW.
Smaller power plants such as Afam I-V, Sapele ST, Olorunsogo NIPP, Omotosho NIPP, Sapele GT NIPP, Ihovbor NIPP, Geregu NIPP, Omotosho, Olorunsogo, Ibom Power, Rivers NIPP, Omoku, Trans Amadi, Paras, Taopex Energy, Mepp, and Dadin Kowa generated a combined average of 1,261MW, representing 25 per cent of the total energy output.
However, some plants performed below capacity. For instance, Ibom Power and Trans Amadi produced just 15MW and 3MW on average, while Alaoji NIPP failed to generate any power during the period, despite its installed capacity of 500MW.
NERC’s data also revealed that the average hourly available capacity from the 28 power plants was 4,524MWh/h during the review period, further underscoring the gap between installed capacity and actual performance in Nigeria’s power sector.
