Nigeria’s electricity grid operated with low generation availability and experienced frequent system instability in January 2026, according to the Operational Performance Factsheet released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
According to a report obtained from NERC’s X handle showed that grid-connected power plants operated significantly below installed capacity during the month.
Although Nigeria’s total installed generation capacity stood at 13,625 megawatts (MW), only an average of 4,901MW was available for dispatch, resulting in a Plant Availability Factor (PAF) of 36 per cent.
“The grid-connected plants recorded a Plant Availability Factor (PAF) of 36%, at any time during the month, an average of 4,901 MW was available for dispatch into the grid.
“The average lower grid frequency (49.03Hz) and average upper grid frequency (50.66Hz) during the month exceeded the prescribed limits (49.75Hz–50.25Hz),” the commission noted,” NERC stated.
According to the report, Nigeria’s total installed generation capacity stood at 13,625 megawatts, but only an average of 4,901 megawatts was available for dispatch during the month, translating to a PAF of 36 per cent.
The Average Load Factor, however, was recorded at 90 per cent, meaning about 4,421 megawatt-hours per hour of available power was dispatched and consumed, pointing to strong demand and limited reserves within the system.
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