Nigeria power plants used 86% of available capacity in August, NERC says
Nigeria’s grid-connected power plants operated at an average 86% of available capacity in August, according to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission. Average available capacity was 4,758 megawatts, while hourly generation averaged 4,102MW, but the regulator also recorded breaches of prescribed frequency and voltage ranges.
Nigeria’s grid-connected power plants operated at an average 86% of their available capacity in August, according to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission’s latest operational performance report. The commission’s August 2026 factsheet said plants had an average available capacity of 4,758 megawatts, while average hourly generation was 4,102MW. About 656MW of available capacity was therefore not used on average during the month.
Several major plants recorded high utilisation. Kainji_1 operated at 98%, generating 345MW from 352MW available, while Afam_2 recorded 99%, producing 262MW from 265MW. Egbin_1 generated 333MW from 347MW, a 96% load factor.
Olorunsogo_1, Omoku_1 and Igbafо_1 recorded full utilisation. Omotosho_1 operated at 99%, while Dadin-Kowa_1 recorded 98%. Other plants, including Delta_1, Zungeru_1, Odukpani_1 and Shiroro_1, operated below those levels.
The report also identified plants with lower utilisation. Afam_1 recorded 67%, Ikeja_1 76% and Ihovbor_1 79%. Sapele_2, Alaoji_1, Geregu_2 and Ibom Power_1 recorded no generation during the period.
Despite the relatively high capacity use, NERC reported breaches of prescribed grid operating limits. The average lower frequency was 49.34Hz and the upper frequency was 50.67Hz, outside the prescribed range of 49.75Hz to 50.25Hz. Voltage readings also exceeded the stated limits.
The average lower grid voltage was 302.29 kilovolts and the upper average was 349.68kV, compared with a prescribed range of 313.50kV to 346.50kV. The figures point to substantial utilisation alongside continuing grid stability concerns.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.