At least three power plants generated no electricity in September as Nigeria’s national grid continued to record frequency and voltage breaches, according to the latest data released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.
The plants, Alaoji_1, Ibom Power_1 and Rivers_1, recorded zero megawatts in average hourly generation and a load factor of zero per cent during the month. Their available capacities were also listed as zero, indicating that they contributed no electricity to the grid throughout the period.
The NERC factsheet on the operational performance of power plants showed that the national grid recorded an average available capacity of 5,038 megawatts in September, while average hourly generation stood at 4,089MW, resulting in a system-wide load factor of 81 per cent.
Compared with August 2026, available capacity increased by 5.89 per cent, but average hourly generation declined by 0.30 per cent, while the load factor fell by 5.04 per cent.
The data also showed that some other power plants operated at low levels during the period. Afam_1 generated an average of 0.72MW from an available capacity of 1.33MW, recording a load factor of 54 per cent, while Geregu_2 produced 1MW from 2MW available, with a load factor of 56 per cent.
However, Trans Amadi_1 and Dadin-Kowa_1 recorded load factors of 100 per cent or above after the system operator directed them to generate beyond their declared steady-state availability to support grid stability.
Performance among some of the larger power plants varied, with Kainji_1 recording a load factor of 98 per cent, generating 341MW from an available capacity of 347MW.
Egbin_1 and Afam_2 each recorded a load factor of 94 per cent, while Ihovbor_2 achieved 91 per cent. Zungeru_1, however, utilised 61 per cent of its available capacity, generating 358MW out of 587MW.
Beyond the uneven performance of the generating plants, the regulator’s data showed that the national grid continued to operate outside prescribed frequency limits in September.
The average lower frequency fell to 49.43Hz, below the prescribed minimum of 49.75Hz, while the average upper frequency rose to 50.69Hz, exceeding the maximum operating limit of 50.25Hz.
Voltage performance also remained outside the prescribed limits, with the average lower voltage dropping to 304.90kV, below the minimum of 313.50kV, while the average upper voltage climbed to 350.28kV, above the maximum of 346.50kV.
The figures indicate that despite an increase in available generation capacity compared with August, average electricity generation declined, while frequency and voltage deviations persisted.
The performance of the plants also showed differences in capacity utilisation, with some units generating close to their available capacity while others recorded low output or no available capacity during the month.
It must be noted that the available capacities of most of these plants were far below their installed capacities. For example, Egbin Power Plant has an installed capacity of 1,320MW, but it declared 429MW in September and generated 402MW.
Nigeria has an installed capacity of about 13,000MW, but generation hovers between 4,000MW and 5,000MW.