By Rejoice Peterside
Nigeria’s electricity generation has dropped below the 4,000 megawatt threshold following persistent gas supply shortages affecting thermal power plants across the country, the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) has said.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the system operator disclosed that the national grid generated only 3,940.53 megawatts as of 5:00 a.m., reflecting ongoing fuel supply challenges constraining output from several gas-fired plants.
According to the statement titled Gas Constraints Lead to Temporary Reduction in Power Generation,”the current output is already below expected capacity due to limited gas supply to a number of generating stations across the country.
“The Nigerian Independent System Operator wishes to inform stakeholders and the public of the continued decline in electricity generation on the national grid arising from persistent gas supply constraints affecting several thermal power plants,” the statement said.
NISO explained that the situation worsened within hours as several generating units were forced to shut down due to inadequate gas supply.
“Between 06:00 hours and 08:00 hours, several generating units were forced to shut down as a result of inadequate gas supply to the plants. This resulted in a cumulative reduction of approximately 292MW in available generation on the grid during the period,” the operator stated.
The latest development follows an earlier notice issued in February by the system operator warning of power generation shortfalls caused by similar gas supply constraints.
In that update, electricity generation had dropped to about 4,300MW already reflecting the impact of limited gas availability to power plants. The latest figure of 3,940.53MW therefore represents a further decline in available generation capacity.
Operational data released by the operator showed that thermal power plants connected to the national grid require about 1,588.61 million standard cubic feet of gas per day to operate at optimal capacity.
However, the actual gas supply to the plants currently stands at only 652.92 million standard cubic feet per day, representing roughly 40 per cent of the required volume.
“This shortfall has significantly affected the ability of thermal power plants to operate at optimal capacity and has further reduced the total generation available for dispatch to the national grid,” the statement added.
The operator noted that the generation deficit is responsible for the power supply challenges currently being experienced in several parts of the country.
NISO said it is working closely with electricity generation companies and gas suppliers to restore supply to the affected plants and stabilise the grid.
“NISO is actively working with the affected Generation Companies and relevant gas suppliers to closely monitor the situation and facilitate the restoration of generation as soon as gas supply to the affected plants stabilises,” the operator said.
It added that necessary operational measures are being implemented to maintain stability on the national grid despite the reduced generation capacity.
Nigeria’s electricity sector relies heavily on gas-fired thermal plants, which account for more than 70 per cent of power supplied to the national grid.
Despite possessing one of Africa’s largest natural gas reserves, power plants in Nigeria frequently operate below installed capacity due to supply bottlenecks and infrastructure limitations.
Meanwhile, NISO assured electricity consumers that it would continue to provide updates on developments affecting power generation and grid operations across the country.
