Gas Supply Shortfall Pushes Nigeria’s Available Power Down to 4,300MW, Says NISO

Nigeria’s available electricity generation has dropped to around 4,300 megawatts because of insufficient gas supply to thermal power stations, the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) said on Friday.

In a public notice to market participants and consumers, NISO said the generation decline is tied directly to constraints in gas delivery to thermal plants, which still provide the largest share of electricity sent into the national grid.

“We hereby notify the general public and all market participants that the current average available generation of approximately 4,300MW is primarily due to inadequate gas supply to thermal generating stations,” the operator said.

The latest update adds to long-running pressure on households and businesses facing unstable public power. Grid disturbances, blackouts and low supply windows have continued to force many Nigerians to depend on petrol and diesel generators, while some homes and firms are shifting to solar systems where possible.

NISO said thermal stations require about 1,629.75 million standard cubic feet of gas daily to run at stronger output levels. But as of 23 February 2026, actual supply was about 692.00 million standard cubic feet per day. That means plants were operating with less than 43 per cent of required gas input.

According to the operator, that supply gap is a major reason energy available for distribution companies has remained low.

“The available gas supply represents less than 43% of the required volume, resulting in constrained generation output. The current low generation level is fundamentally driven by inadequate gas supply to thermal generating units, leading to reduced energy allocation to the DisCos,” NISO said.

The operator explained that whenever generation falls sharply, it must spread available electricity through load shedding to protect grid stability and avoid wider system disturbances. NISO added that dispatch is being done under Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission market rules and existing MYTO-based allocation percentages across distribution networks.

“When total system generation drops significantly, the Independent System Operator must implement load shedding across the system, while dispatching available energy in line with the NERC MYTO allocation percentages across all distribution networks to maintain grid stability and prevent system disturbances,” the statement said.

Earlier in February, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited had warned that Seplat’s scheduled maintenance across gas facilities from 12 to 15 February could reduce availability to some generation companies. NISO’s latest figures now show the scale of the shortfall in the wider electricity market.

While acknowledging the disruption to consumers and other market participants, NISO said it is working with stakeholders to restore fuller allocation once gas supply improves and generation capacity rises.