In January 2026, Nigeria’s electricity grid faced a difficult start to the year, grappling with low power availability and unstable system frequency.
Consequently, homes, businesses, and industries experienced the strain of a system struggling to meet demand.
Grid Struggles With Low Availability
The Operational Performance Factsheet released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) on Monday clearly outlines these challenges.
Although Nigeria’s installed generation capacity reached 13,625 megawatts, power plants delivered only an average of 4,901 megawatts for dispatch during the month.
This resulted in a Plant Availability Factor (PAF) of just 36%, showing that most generation plants operated far below their potential.
Meanwhile, the Average Load Factor reached 90%, meaning that nearly all available power flowed directly into the grid, leaving very little operational reserve.
Frequency Instability Risks Blackouts
Grid frequency also exceeded safe limits, fluctuating between 49.03Hz and 50.66Hz, which is outside the recommended 49.75–50.25Hz range.
As a result, blackouts and system-wide disturbances became more likely.
Experts point out that these issues arise from long-term structural weaknesses.
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Years of underinvestment, ageing infrastructure, and weak project execution have left the grid fragile.
Specifically, transmission lines, particularly 330kV and 132kV networks, have operated for decades and increasingly develop faults.
Furthermore, delays in procurement, land acquisition, and project supervision have slowed critical upgrades, including initiatives under the Presidential Power Initiative.
Daily Impact On Nigerians
Operators warn that the grid frequently runs near maximum capacity, leaving minimal room to absorb faults.
In January, this fragility appeared clearly when the national grid collapsed twice, causing widespread blackouts.
The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) attributed at least one outage to a system-wide disturbance.
For ordinary Nigerians, the factsheet offers more than technical data—it illustrates the daily challenges of unreliable electricity.
Despite years of investment promises, the grid remains vulnerable, with shortages and instability continuing to disrupt life across the country.
