Lagos, July 10, 2026 – Nigeria has lost more than ₦2.376 trillion to persistent inefficiencies in the electricity grid over the past 12 years.
Abdu Bello, the Chief Executive of the Nigeria Independent System Operator (NISO), disclosed this at the 11th Nigeria Energy Forum (NEF 2026) in Lagos.
Bello, represented by Deji Ojo, the ISO General Manager of Research, said a significant portion of the country’s available electricity generation capacity remained stranded because the transmission and system operations framework could not dispatch all available power to consumers.
He said the continued underutilisation of existing power infrastructure had resulted in substantial capacity payment losses since 2015.
According to NISO, Nigeria had an available electricity generation capacity of 7,311 megawatts (MW) as of May 2026.
However, the country dispatched an average of only 4,222MW, leaving approximately 3,162MW of available generation capacity stranded and unable to contribute to economic activity.
The agency explained that this unused capacity represents electricity that power plants are capable of generating, but which cannot be effectively transmitted and distributed through the national grid.
It said that in spite of investments in generation assets, the inability to evacuate available power continues to limit electricity supply to homes, businesses and industries.
Bello said the establishment of the Nigerian Independent System Operator marked a transition in the country’s electricity sector from focusing primarily on infrastructure expansion to prioritising operational efficiency, market performance and system reliability.
According to him, the agency’s objective is not only to increase installed generation capacity, but also to ensure that existing megawatts are converted into measurable economic value through improved grid operations and more efficient system management.
