Gas Shortage Cripples Power Grid, Deepens Nigeria’s Electricity Crisis
Oluwafunbi Bello 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria’s electricity crisis deepens as acute gas shortages slash thermal power generation, pushing national grid output to critically low levels and forcing widespread load shedding across the country.
The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), on Friday says grid generation has fallen to about 4,300 megawatts—far below national demand—after gas supply dropped to less than half of what thermal plants require to operate optimally.
“Thermal power plants require about 1,629.75 million standard cubic feet of gas daily, but actual supply stood at just 692 MMSCF,” the operator says, warning that the deficit is directly responsible for ongoing blackouts nationwide.
Thermal stations dominate Nigeria’s power mix, leaving the grid highly exposed to disruptions in gas supply. To avert total collapse, the system operator confirms it is dispatching power strictly under the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission’s allocation framework.
The impact is severe in Enugu State, where MainPower Electricity Distribution Ltd., a subsidiary of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, reports sharply reduced supply. Its spokesman, Emeka Ezeh, says, “This is a system-wide challenge arising from current generation constraints, not a local fault.”
Energy analysts say the crisis again exposes Nigeria’s structural vulnerability to gas supply shocks, despite years of reform pledges.
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Hussaini Ibrahim 
Chukwu Obinna 