Nigeria’s power grid is 69.9% powered by thermal plants

Key Takeaways

  • Thermal energy dominates Nigeria’s grid, supplying 69.9% of total power.
  • Hydro plants contribute 30.1%, making them the country’s second major source.
  • The heavy reliance on thermal generation shows Nigeria’s grid is still largely fossil-fuel driven.
  • Hydro remains a crucial but secondary source, supporting overall supply stability.

Nigeria’s electricity generation is mainly thermal, accounting for 69.9% of total supply, reflecting the country’s dependence on fossil-fuel-based plants for grid stability. Hydro power contributes 30.1%, providing an important complementary source that supports national generation levels. Together, both sources shape Nigeria’s power mix.

Source:

Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC)

Period:

H1 2025
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Despite allocating more funds than in 2020, Nigeria's defence budget share falls back to 9% in 2026, matching the 2020 low
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  • Boko Haram, banditry, and separatist tensions peaked in 2020, resulting in a cut that saw defence's share fall to just 9.2%, the lowest on record at that point.
  • The jump to ₦6.57trn (13.2%) in 2025 marks the sharpest year-on-year absolute increase in the dataset. But 2026 reversed this again, with the rate dropping to 9.3%.

Nigeria recorded a 76% drop in HIV cases over five years
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Nigeria's insurance sector crossed ₦1.98tn in H1 2025 as every segment grew by at least 25%
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Nigeria’s crude oil export value surges over 400% from 2020 to a record ₦55.3tn in 2024
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  • 2015 and 2016 were the hardest years, with export values crashing as low as ₦6.8 trillion in 2015, reflecting the brutal impact of the global oil price collapse on Nigeria's most critical export.
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The national grid collapses an average of 7 times annually under Tinubu, down from 13 times under Buhari
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