The crisis in Nigeria’s power sector worsened on Thursday with a further decline in power generation, forcing electricity distribution companies to implement widespread load shedding across their business districts.
Data obtained from the Nigerian Independent System Operator showed that generation stood at 2,898 megawatts (MW), representing an 11 percent drop from 3,222MW recorded on Monday .
In a notice issued to stakeholders, NISO blamed the development on persistent gas supply constraints affecting several thermal power plants.
“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,” NISO stated .
The situation deteriorated further between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., when several generating units were forced to shut down due to inadequate gas supply. This resulted in a cumulative reduction of approximately 292 MW in available generation during that period .
According to operational data as of March 4, 2026, 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 652.92 MMSCF, representing about 41 percent of the gas required for optimal generation .
The gas shortage has significantly constrained output from gas-fired plants, which account for the majority of electricity production on the national grid. Nigeria’s power generation mix is heavily dependent on gas-fired thermal plants, which provide more than 70 per cent of electricity supplied to the grid .
The reduced output sharply constrained electricity available for distribution companies, leaving the 11 DisCos with a combined load allocation of 2,830MW, according to system dispatch data .
The largest share of electricity went to Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), which received 490MW, followed by Ikeja Electric (IE) with 484MW and Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) with 413MW .
NISO said it is actively working with 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 recurring gas shortages underscore structural challenges in the electricity market, including liquidity constraints in the power value chain and inadequate investments in gas-to-power infrastructure . Despite Nigeria’s vast natural gas reserves, power plants frequently operate below installed capacity due to supply bottlenecks.
