Only 40% of Nigeria’s Power Capacity Available for Dispatch in October 2025—NERC

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has disclosed that only 40 per cent of the country’s total installed power capacity was available for dispatch in October 2025, highlighting significant challenges within the national electricity supply ecosystem.

According to the latest Operational Performance Factsheet released by NERC on Tuesday, nationwide grid-connected power plants produced a total of 5,506 megawatts (MW) during the month under review. This output represents a fraction of the country’s total installed capacity of 13,625MW, spread across 18 major power plants.

Although the power generation figure for October marks a 60 per cent increase compared to September 2025, it still indicates that 60 per cent of the nation’s generation plants were unavailable, severely constraining the amount of electricity that could be dispatched to meet demand.

The factsheet further shows that while the available generation capacity reached 5,506MW, actual electricity usage stood at 4,290MW, translating to a 78 per cent average load factor — a measure of how effectively the available power was utilised.

The NERC data also showed that the contribution of power plants to the national grid was uneven during the period.

The top 10 plants were responsible for generating 80 per cent of the total electricity produced, with leading contributors including Egbin, Delta, Kainji, and Zungeru plants.

Among these, the Zungeru hydroelectric facility distinguished itself by operating at full capacity, generating 700MW out of its 700MW potential. Other plants, such as Egbin and Kainji, performed well but fell short of their maximum capacity, producing 656MW out of 1,320MW (50 per cent) and 572MW out of 760MW (75 per cent), respectively.

Despite this relative improvement in output, the report flagged concerns about grid stability. Measurements of average grid voltage and frequency deviated from the prescribed operational limits, suggesting instability within the national power distribution system.

The lower grid voltage averaged 294.55kV (below the target minimum of 313.50kV), while the upper grid voltage slightly exceeded its limit at 346.90kV.

Additionally, the report showed that the frequency oscillated outside the normal range, with a lower frequency average of 49.46 Hz and an upper frequency of 50.69 Hz, compared to the recommended range of 49.75 Hz to 50.25 Hz.

These fluctuations underscore the fragility of Nigeria’s power infrastructure, despite ongoing improvements in generation.

In line with efforts to improve electricity distribution and consumption monitoring, the NERC has approved a N28 billion disbursement to Distribution Companies (DisCos) to expedite the procurement and installation of prepaid smart meters. This initiative forms part of the national Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), which aims to roll out over 10 million smart meters across Nigeria by 2030.

The current tranche of the Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF) will focus on metering unmetered residential customers within Band ‘A’ and ‘B’ categories to enhance billing accuracy and reduce losses attributed to unmetered consumption.

Overall, NERC’s October 2025 report reflected a nuanced picture of Nigeria’s power sector: while generation performance has improved markedly, significant capacity limitations and grid instability issues remain critical hurdles.

These challenges underscore the urgent need for continued infrastructure upgrades and strategic investments to unlock Nigeria’s full electricity potential and deliver a more reliable power supply to households and businesses across the nation.