National Grid Power Supply Drops To 32% In February

Power Generation Companies’ (GenCos) electricity supply to the national grid dropped to 32 per cent in February 2026, amid worsening gas shortfalls.

Data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) Factsheet for February, showed that grid-connected power plants saw just 32 per cent of their installed capacity available for dispatch in February 2026, down from 36 per cent the previous month, and 41 per cent in December 2016.

This left only 4,384 MW available out of 13,625 MW total installed capacity, compared to 5,177 MW in January—a 15 per cent decline that underscores deepening operational challenges.

NERC’s February 2026 Operational Performance Factsheet detailed the slump, noting a Plant Availability Factor (PAF) of 32 per cent with 4,102 MWh (93 per cent load factor) actually dispatched. The high load factor signals strong demand nominations from electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos), yet supply constraints persisted.

The report showed that top performers included Ihovbor 2, Kainji 1, and Jebba 1, which boasted strong availability and utilisation.

The top 10 plants generated 82 per cent of total energy—up slightly from 79 per cent in January—but most lagged far behind.

Of 28 plants in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI), only Geregu 1 hit full capacity, producing 100 per cent of its 106 MW. Ikeja 1 followed at 95 per cent (104 MW of 110 MW), Kainji 1 at 99 per cent (574 MW), and Ihovbor 2 at 91 per cent  (404 MW).

No other plant exceeded 43 per cent output.

Gas-fired plants bore the brunt, with most in downtime—none except Ikeja 1 surpassing 43 per cent capacity, mirroring January’s patterns but worsening overall. NERC attributes this low grid performance to chronic gas shortages, fueled by low water levels for hydro-powered plants.

The February slide raises fresh concerns over Nigeria’s energy reliability, as gas constraints continue to hobble thermal plants despite DisCo demand.