Nigeria’s electricity generation system operated under significant capacity constraints in April 2026, with only 31 per cent of installed power capacity available for dispatch, despite strong utilisation of the limited supply, according to the latest operational data.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), in its April 2026 Operational Performance Factsheet, revealed that an average of 4,286 megawatts (MW) was available from a total installed capacity of 13,625MW across grid-connected plants during the month.
The figure translates to a Plant Availability Factor (PAF) of 31 per cent, underscoring persistent challenges in generation capacity, including outages, maintenance issues and operational inefficiencies across power stations.
However, the data also shows that nearly all available power was effectively utilised. The Average Load Factor stood at 94 per cent, indicating that about 4,048 megawatt-hours per hour (MWh/h) of the available generation capacity was dispatched to the grid.
The contrast highlights a recurring structural issue in Nigeria’s power sector — limited available capacity rather than weak demand or poor utilisation.
A breakdown of plant-level performance shows that a handful of stations accounted for a significant share of generation. The top 10 energy producers contributed 81 per cent of total electricity generated during the month.
Among them, Ihovbor 2, Jebba 1 and Kainji 1 stood out with strong availability levels and high load factors, reflecting more stable operations compared to other plants on the grid.
Despite these pockets of efficiency, several other plants recorded low availability, dragging down overall system performance and reinforcing concerns about underperformance in the generation segment.
The data suggests that while Nigeria’s grid is capable of efficiently distributing available power, the real bottleneck remains inadequate generation output relative to installed capacity.
Industry analysts say addressing the gap will require sustained investment in plant maintenance, improved gas supply, and stronger operational discipline to ensure that more of the country’s installed capacity is actually available for use.
The April figures reinforce the ongoing challenge in Nigeria’s power sector: a system where demand continues to outpace reliable supply, even as existing capacity remains significantly underutilised due to technical and operational constraints.
