Nigeria’s electricity drops by 13.68% in Q1 2024 – NERC

Nigeria’s electricity generation capacity dropped to 4,249.10 megawatts in the second quarter of 2024 from 4,922.26 MW recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2023.

This is according to the Q1 2024 report released recently by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC.

The report showed that available electricity generated by 27 power plants connected to the national grid dropped by 13.68 per cent or 673.16 MW, short of the figure recorded in Q1 2023.

According to the report, the significant decrease in the total amount of energy generated in February compared to energy generated in January can largely be attributed to the decrease in energy generation from Egbin ST (Gas) (-

142.19 megawatts hour), Rivers Independent Power Project (-105.60MWh), Olorunsogo, Nigerian National Integrated Power Project, NIPP (-53.32MVWh), and Geregu (-41.49MWh) power plants.

Similarly, NERC’s Q1 2024 report indicated that Omotosho NIPP did not generate in February due to the unavailability of gas.

The report added that there were two collapses on the national grid in Q1 2024, as well as one partial collapse and one total collapse, which occurred on February 4 and March 28, 2024.

“Grid performance in the quarter under review stood at average lower daily (49.00Hz) and average upper daily (50.68Hz) system frequencies were outside the normal operating limits (49.75Hz – 50.25Hz) but remained within the lower and higher bound stress limits (48.75Hz – 51.25Hz).

“The Commission is aware of the system risk posed by the continuous operations of the grid outside the normal operating limits and continues to push the SO to improve its system coordination activities accordingly,” the report stated.