Poor electricity supply raises concerns over economic outlook
From John Ofikhenua, Abuja National electricity supply has seen a decline in recent period, raising concerns that poor power supply amidst escalating tensions in the global oil and gas industry
From John Ofikhenua, Abuja
National electricity supply has seen a decline in recent period, raising concerns that poor power supply amidst escalating tensions in the global oil and gas industry could adversely affect Nigeria’s economy.
A check indicated that Nigerian Electricity System Operator (NISO) sent 509 megawatts (MW) to 11 electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) late yesterday, with Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) taking up the total supply during the review point while 10 other DisCos got zero supply.
he generation profile of the NISO platform indicated that total energy generation rose marginally to 1,861.49MW at 18:00 hours from the 1,579.50 MW recorded at 17:00hours.
A source at NISO who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the decline was due to a system fluctuation measure that was used to balance the frequency.
This means the NISO shed energy supply in order to avert a system collapse.
“You know that in the grid, there are fluctuations: up and down movements. To check them, they have to lower generation,” said the source.
In recent time, most of the gas power plants have been operating at less than 20 per cent of their installed capacities.
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A February 2026 factsheet of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) said the generating companies were only dispatching 32 per cent of their installed capacity.
Generation Companies (GenCos) had alleged that debt overhang of N6.2 trillion owed to them has crippled their operations. But many stakeholders had called for forensic audit of the debt claims.
An analyst stated that while the gas plants were basically at their downtime, NISO had a recourse to the hydro power plants.
Meanwhile, energy consumers under the umbrella of Electricity Consumer Protection Advocacy Centre (ECPAC) yesterday cautioned on the negative implications of the poor power supply.
Executive Director, Electricity Consumer Protection Advocacy Centre (ECPAC), Chief Princewill Okorie, described the issues bedeviling the industry as multifaceted, noting that the DisCos were designed to extort the consumers.
According to him, the operations of the energy distributors have remained unchecked so they collect their revenues from the consumers with little or no energy supply.
Okorie said since no one whips the DisCos into line, they are unperturbed by their abysmal performance.
His words: “There are multiple causes. The sector is designed to extort Nigerians. It is characterized by lawlessness. The consumer component of the Electricity Act is not enforced so the DisCos are above the law”.
