February Power Outages in Nigeria Linked to Gas Supply Issues

The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) has linked the power outages experienced in February to inadequate gas supply, which has severely impacted thermal power plants across the country. In a statement released on Friday, NISO indicated that the average electricity generation has dropped to around 4,300 megawatts, significantly below Nigeria's installed capacity.

The outages began in early February, coinciding with scheduled maintenance of key gas supply infrastructure managed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) and its joint venture partner, Seplat Energy. This maintenance temporarily disrupted gas deliveries to several thermal plants, leading to a nationwide decline in electricity generation.

NISO highlighted that thermal plants require approximately 1,629 million standard cubic feet (mmscf) of gas per day for optimal operation, but actual supply was only about 692 mmscf per day, resulting in a shortfall that limited electricity dispatch. The power sector remains heavily dependent on gas-fired thermal plants, which account for 70% of grid electricity, making it particularly vulnerable to gas supply disruptions.