KEY POINTS
- Power generation declined by over seven percent quarter on quarter in Q3 2025
- Gas supply constraints and mechanical faults hit major thermal plants hardest
- Hydro plants recorded marginal declines, led by reduced output at Kainji
Nigeria’s electricity generation fell sharply in the third quarter of 2025, with gas supply shortages and mechanical outages cutting output by more than 600 gigawatt hours, according to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC.
The regulator’s most recent quarterly report, which came out on Tuesday, said that average hourly power generation on the national grid fell by 7.15 percent from the previous quarter. Total electricity generated stood at 9,227.57 gigawatt hours, down from 9,830.31 gigawatt hours recorded between April and June.
The figures reflect the persistent challenges facing Nigeria’s power sector, where fuel constraints and aging infrastructure continue to weigh on supply despite repeated reform efforts.
Thermal plants bear the brunt
The commission’s data showed that the main cause of the decline was thermal power stations. During this time, seventeen of the twenty-three thermal plants connected to the grid had lower average hourly output.
Ihovbor power station had the biggest drop, with output falling by almost 80 megawatt hours per hour. Geregu, Egbin, and Sapele, all important parts of the national grid, also saw big drops.
The regulator says that the average hourly generation from thermal plants fell by more than 318 megawatt hours per hour, which is a drop of just over 10 percent over the quarter.
Officials said that the performance was mostly due to a lack of gas, which is a common problem caused by vandalism of pipelines, maintenance issues, and price disputes in the domestic gas market.
Hydropower stations also saw a small drop, but it wasn’t as bad. During the quarter, the total output of the five biggest hydro plants connected to the grid went down a little bit.
Kainji had the biggest drop, with output falling by more than nine percent. There were also smaller drops at Shiroro and Zungeru, but Jebba’s rise helped make up for the overall losses.
