By Abiodun Folarin
WorldStage— The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), said that Nigeria’s grid-connected power plants utilised 85 per cent of their available generation capacity in October 2026, with average hourly electricity generation standing at 4,047 megawatts (MW).
According to the Commission’s October 2026 Operational Performance Factsheet, the average available generation capacity during the month was 4,744MW, indicating that about 697MW of available capacity was not utilised.
The factsheet, which provides an assessment of the operational performance of grid-connected power plants, identified Jebba Unit 1 as the highest-performing generating unit, recording a load factor of 99 per cent, with an average output of 423MW against an available capacity of 429MW.
Omotosho Unit 1 followed with a 97 per cent load factor, generating 179MW out of its available capacity of 183MW, while Afam Unit 2 recorded 94 per cent, with an average generation of 371MW against 395MW.
However, the report highlighted persistent challenges with the stability of the national grid, particularly in frequency and voltage management.
On frequency stability, NERC reported an average lower grid frequency of 49.46Hz and an average upper frequency of 50.66Hz, both outside the prescribed operational range of 49.75Hz to 50.25Hz.
Similarly, the average lower grid voltage stood at 305.00kV, while the average upper voltage was 353.94kV, exceeding the prescribed operational limits of 313.50kV and 346.50kV, respectively.
The deviations in grid frequency and voltage highlight continuing operational stability concerns despite the relatively high utilisation of available generation capacity.
The October factsheet provides an overview of generation performance and grid operating conditions, offering insight into the challenges confronting Nigeria’s electricity supply system.
