By Peter Salami
Nigeria’s electricity crisis worsened on Thursday as power generation on the national grid plunged sharply, deepening the country’s already epileptic power supply and forcing electricity distribution companies to intensify load shedding across the country.
Available data from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) showed that total generation dropped to 2,898 megawatts (MW), representing an 11 per cent decline from the 3,222MW recorded on Monday.
The sharp fall in output has further strained electricity supply nationwide, leaving homes and businesses grappling with longer hours of blackout.
Explaining the situation, NISO blamed the development on persistent gas supply shortages affecting several thermal power plants that feed electricity into the national grid.
In a notice issued to stakeholders and the public, the system operator said power generation had already been below expected capacity before the latest disruptions occurred.
“As at 05:00 hours of today, Thursday, March 5, 2026, total generation on the national grid stood at 3,940.53MW, which was already below expected capacity due to existing gas supply limitations impacting a number of generating stations,” the operator said.
The situation worsened within hours as multiple power generation units were forced to shut down due to inadequate gas supply.
“Between 06:00 hours and 08:00 hours, several generating units were forced to shut down as a result of inadequate gas supply to the plants. This resulted in a cumulative reduction of approximately 292MW in available generation on the grid during the period,” NISO added.
Operational data for March 4, 2026 showed that thermal power plants require about 1,588.61 million standard cubic feet (MMSCF) of gas per day to operate at optimal capacity.
However, actual gas supply to the stations was only 652.92 MMSCF, representing about 41 per cent of the volume required for full electricity generation.
The severe shortfall has significantly reduced the amount of electricity available for dispatch to the national grid, worsening the power deficit across the country.
NISO said it is currently working with electricity generation companies and gas suppliers to stabilise supply and restore lost capacity.
“NISO is actively working with the affected Generation Companies (GenCos) and relevant gas suppliers to closely monitor the situation and facilitate the restoration of generation as soon as gas supply to the affected plants stabilises,” the operator said.
The latest drop in generation comes amid growing concerns about the fragility of Nigeria’s power infrastructure, which remains heavily dependent on gas-fired plants vulnerable to supply disruptions.