Nigeria’s Electricity Problem Persists As Energy Generation Plunges To One-Month Low

Electricity generation fell further below the 105kMWh minimum requirement…

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Nigeria generated 79.1kMWh of energy on Friday, 6th May 2022, representing an 11.3% decline compared to the 89.14kMWh generated in the previous day and the lowest daily energy generation in almost one month.

Similarly, power supply also declined by 11.5% to 77.72kMWh on Friday in contrast to 87.77kMWh distributed on Thursday, 5th May 2022. This is according to information from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

Nigeria’s electricity generation has fallen further below the 105kMWh minimum requirement to record some level of power supply stability in the country despite various interventions in the sector. The last time energy generation in Nigeria was this low was on the 9th of April 2022, when the national grid was disrupted, causing widespread blackouts.

Highlight (6th May 2022)

Peak generation – 4,068.9MW (+3.7%)
Off-peak generation – 2,265.1MW (-34%)
Energy generated – 79,054.83MWh (-11.3%)
Energy sent out – 77,715MWh (-11.5%)

The highest frequency for the day was 51.47Hz, while the lowest frequency was 49.34Hz. Also, 98.31% of the energy generated on Friday was supplied to DisCos.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s labour has urged the Federal Government to scrap and reverse the electricity privatisation exercise, noting that the challenges in the electricity sector persist despite the significant support funds into the sector.

This was stated by the president of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Mr. Ayuba Wabba, while speaking on Sunday, 1st May 2022 in Abuja during the 2022 International Workers’ Day celebration. He stated that “the challenges in our electricity sub-sector persist despite the acclaimed goodness that the power sector privatization programme promised.”

Why this matters

Electricity is an essential need of many Nigerians and their businesses, especially given the surge in the price of diesel and recent fuel scarcity across the country. The cost of power in the country has gone up and is further exacerbated by constant disruption in electricity supply.

SOURCE:NAIRAMETRICS