Power crisis worsens as generation drops 11% to 2,898 MW

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•NISO blames poor gas supply

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By Mariam Eko

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The crisis in Nigeria’s power sector worsened yesterday with further decline recorded in power generation.

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Data obtained from the Nigerian Independent System Operator, NISO, showed that generation stood at 2,898 megawatts, MW, yesterday, a shortfall of 11 percent from 3,222MW recorded on Monday.

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The sharp drop forced electricity Distribution Companies, DisCos, to embark on further load shedding across their various business districts nationwide.

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Acknowledging the development with excuses, the NISO issued a notice to stakeholders and the general public blaming the development on decline in power generation to the national grid arising from persistent gas supply constraints affecting several thermal power plants.

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NISO stated: “As at 05:00 hours of today, Thursday, 5th March 2026, total generation on the national grid stood at 3,940.53 MW, which was already below the expected capacity due to existing gas supply limitations impacting a number of generating stations.

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“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 292 MW in available generation on the grid during the period”.

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According to operational data as of 04 March 2026, it indicates that thermal power plants require approximately 1,588.61 million standard cubic feet (MMSCF) of gas per day to operate at optimal capacity. However, actual gas supply to these stations was approximately 652.92MMSCF, representing about 41% of the gas required for optimal generation.

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The operator also noted that the developments further reduced the total generation available for dispatch to the national grid and contributed to the current generation inadequacy being experienced across the system.

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“NISO is actively working with the affected Generation Companies (GenCos) and relevant gas suppliers to closely monitor the situation and facilitate the restoration of generation as soon as gas supply to the affected plants stabilizes,” the statement added.

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