NNPCL pushes back at NISO over gas shortage claim amid power woes

NNPCL says gas pipelines are not the problem behind Nigeria’s power shortfall, pushing back at NISO as the minister blames maintenance and damaged lines.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) says its gas transportation network is operating without constraints, countering claims by the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) that limited gas is hurting electricity generation, Gazette reports.

In a Friday statement by spokesperson Andy Odeh, NNPCL said the network run by its subsidiary, NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company Limited, remained available to transport gas to power stations nationwide. NISO said on Thursday that limited gas constrained some thermal plants, while lower water inflows reduced hydroelectric output.

NNPCL said gas production had risen by about 10 per cent year to date in 2026, though it gave no production volumes or details of deliveries to power stations. It called for suppliers, transporters, generators and NISO to review operational data together, and said any assessment should also check whether generating units were operational and plant maintenance schedules.

NISO said lower generation had cut electricity allocated to distribution companies, leading to shorter supply hours and more load shedding. The 11 distribution companies received a combined 2,926 megawatts on Thursday afternoon.

Power Minister Joseph Tegbe said outages were due to maintenance at Egbin Power Station, gas constraints at some plants and damaged transmission lines. “My team and I are working to return the affected generating units to service in phases,” he said.