Power Generation Declined By 295MW In March – NERC

The National Grid Plant Availability Factor (PAF) declined further in March 2026, dropping by 295MW to 30 per cent, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has said.

The power plants’ availability slipped from 32 per cent in February to 30 per cent in March.

NERC’s latest Operational Performance Fact Sheet, released via its official X handle on Thursday, showed that grid-connected power plants saw their PAF decline by 295 megawatts from 4,384 MW in February to 4,089MW in March.

The NERC report also showed that out of the 4,089 MW available for dispatch in March, 3,815 MWh/h of capacity was utilised, indicating an Average Load Factor of 93 per cent, out of a total installed capacity of 13,625 megawatts (MW) across 28 plants.

PAF measures the ratio of a plant’s operator-declared maximum output to its manufacturer-specified capacity. The available power was mostly utilised, with plants achieving an average load factor of 93 per cent.

The report noted that the top energy producers: Ihovbor_2, Kainji_1, and Jebba_1 stood out with strong availability and high utilisation levels.

“The monthly average lower grid voltage (305.10kV) and average upper grid voltage (350.20kV) during the month exceeded the prescribed limits (313.50kV – 346.50kV).

“The average lower grid frequency (49.02Hz) and average upper grid frequency (50.80Hz) during the month exceeded the prescribed limits (49.75Hz-50.25Hz),” the report said.

The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) had recently attributed the country’s dwindling electricity generation to inadequate gas supply to thermal generating stations.

NISO said that 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.

These challenges align with recent comments from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), which linked declining output to insufficient gas supplies for thermal plants—the mainstay of Nigeria’s generation mix.