… as smaller GenCos shoulder Nigeria’s energy needs
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has released its Operational Performance Factsheet for March 2026, revealing that out of a total installed capacity of 13,625 MW, an average of only 4,089 MW was available for dispatch.
According to the report, the grid-connected plants recorded a Plant Availability Factor (PAF) of only 30 percent for the month.
This figure represents a 7 percent decline in availability compared to February 2026.
Despite the low availability, the system demonstrated high efficiency in managing what was accessible.
The average hourly generation for March stood at 3,815 MWh/h, representing a 93 percent Average Load Factor. This suggests that the system operator utilized nearly all the power made available by the generating companies (GenCos).
However, the report sounds an alarm regarding grid stability. Both voltage and frequency levels frequently drifted outside the required technical limits during the month.
The average lower grid voltage of 305.10kV and upper grid voltage of 350.20kV both exceeded the prescribed safety limits of 313.50kV to 346.50kV. Similarly, grid frequency fluctuated beyond the target range of 49.75Hz to 50.25Hz, recording lows of 49.02Hz and highs of 50.80Hz.
These fluctuations highlight ongoing vulnerabilities in the transmission infrastructure, which can lead to equipment damage and system collapses if left unaddressed.
A small group of power plants however continue to shoulder the bulk of Nigeria’s energy needs.
NERC noted that the top ten energy producers accounted for 84 percent of the total energy generated during the month.
Several plants demonstrated exceptional operational discipline.
Ihovbor_2 achieved a perfect 100 percent Plant Availability Factor, while Kainji_1 and Jebba_1 also stood out with availability factors of 62 percent and 71 percent respectively, combined with near-perfect load factors.
Conversely, several major plants, including Alaoji_1, Omotosho_2, and Ibom Power_1, reported 0 percent availability, contributing nothing to the grid throughout the month.
The March 2026 data shows that while the high load factor shows that the industry is capable of distributing the power it has, the technical instability and low overall availability remain significant hurdles to achieving a steady and reliable national power supply.