The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has disclosed that Nigeria’s power plants operated far below their installed capacity in September 2025.
NERC stated that only 38 per cent of the country’s total 13,625 megawatts (MW) installed generation capacity was available for dispatch to the national grid.
The commission stated further that the nation’s power generation infrastructure remains underutilised, with an average of 5,200 MW available for supply to the grid during the month.
NERC’s factsheet for September revealed that despite the modest availability, the plants recorded an average load factor of 78 per cent, translating to an hourly generation of 4,091 megawatt-hours (MWh/h).
This indicates that less than four-fifths of available generation capacity was actually utilised during the period under review.
According to NERC, the country’s power plants’ performance fell slightly compared to August 2025, when availability stood at 40 per cent and utilisation at 82 per cent.
The factsheet showed that the ten largest energy producers accounted for 81 per cent of total energy generated in September.
Leading the pack was Zungeru Hydro Plant, which maintained a perfect 100 per cent plant availability factor, though it achieved a modest 51 per cent load factor.
Thermal stations like Egbin, Kainji, Jebba, and Delta also featured among the top performers.
Egbin, Nigeria’s largest gas-fired plant, posted a 90 per cent load factor, while Kainji and Jebba recorded 91 and 73 per cent, respectively.
Others in the top tier included Okpai (87%), Ihovbor (86%), Geregu (86%), and Afam (99%), though several of these plants operated with limited available capacity due to gas supply and maintenance challenges.
The report also highlighted the poor performance of many other grid-connected plants, with several posting single-digit or zero availability.
Plants such as Alaoji, Omotosho 2, and Ibom Power had no output in September, while Olorunsogo 2 and Sapele Steam recorded availability factors of just 3 per cent each.
The average lower grid voltage (304.63kV) and upper voltage (347.80kV) both exceeded the prescribed limits of 313.50–346.50kV.
Similarly, grid frequency oscillated between 49.26Hz and 50.84Hz, outside the target range of 49.75–50.25Hz, with the system operating within limits only 48 per cent of the time.
Leave a Comment