Nigeria’s struggle with electricity generation has continued despite repeated promises of improvement, as power supply on the national grid remains stuck around 5,500 megawatts.
This comes even as the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) formally transferred regulatory authority in Bayelsa State to the newly established Bayelsa State Electricity Regulatory Agency (BYERA), in line with the amended 1999 Constitution and the Electricity Act 2023.
The development marks a significant step in the ongoing decentralization of electricity regulation, with Bayelsa joining Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, Enugu, Niger, Edo, Oyo, Plateau, and Imo as states with the autonomy to regulate their electricity markets.
According to NERC’s directive, the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) must establish a subsidiary company to take over the intrastate distribution of power within Bayelsa.
The new company, referred to as PHED SubCo, is mandated to secure an operational license from BYERA within 60 days, with all transfers expected to be finalized by February 20, 2026.
With this new regulatory independence, Bayelsa can now generate, transmit, distribute, and license electricity operators across its energy value chain.
Experts believe this shift could attract fresh investments and foster innovation at the subnational level. However, citizens remain skeptical, as previous promises of improved supply have failed to materialize.
Despite an installed generation capacity of over 13,000MW, the country has consistently failed to deliver more than 6,000MW to its citizens.
The July 2025 factsheet released by NERC paints a grim picture: available generation capacity stood at 5,577MW, representing a plant availability factor of just 41 percent—down from 46 percent the previous month.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, had earlier pledged to raise generation to 6,000MW before the end of 2024, with a further projection of 7,000MW in 2025.
While the grid briefly reached 6,003MW in March 2025 following tariff reforms, the achievement lasted only a few days before supply dropped again.
A breakdown of performance shows that many power plants are operating far below their installed capacity.
Egbin Power Plant, for instance, has a 1,320MW installed capacity but managed just 717MW in July (54 percent availability). Similarly, Delta Power Plant generated 482MW out of 900MW, while Kainji produced 360MW out of 760MW.
Plants such as Odukpani, Zungeru, and Afam II averaged less than 35 percent availability, while others like Alaoji and Sapele were almost dormant.
By contrast, a few plants such as Ihovbor (97 percent availability), Okpai (81 percent), and Jebba (77 percent) demonstrated relatively strong performance. Still, their output remains insufficient to offset the underperformance of larger stations.
Industry stakeholders attribute Nigeria’s generation bottlenecks largely to gas supply disruptions, inadequate infrastructure, and poor maintenance of existing facilities.
Jennifer Adighije, Managing Director of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company, recently disclosed that her agency had recovered 625MW of idle capacity by repairing turbine units at key plants.
She noted that Alaoji Power Plant, which had been inactive for years, is set to return online in the coming weeks.
Yet, despite these interventions, Nigeria’s average hourly generation in July was only 4,340MWh, with grid frequency and voltage stability fluctuating dangerously close to technical limits.
Energy analyst and convener of PowerUp Nigeria, Adetayo Adegbemle, expressed concern over the federal government’s lack of coherent policy direction.
He argued that while state-level autonomy is a positive development, the transition will take years before yielding significant improvements.
“Power supply challenges will not be solved by decentralization alone,” Adegbemle said.
“The Minister of Power needs to provide strong policy leadership to ensure generation, transmission, and distribution issues are addressed holistically.
Otherwise, state regulators like Bayelsa’s will inherit the same structural problems currently plaguing NERC.”
The transfer of regulatory authority to Bayelsa highlights Nigeria’s gradual shift toward decentralizing its power sector.
However, until the federal government tackles systemic issues such as gas shortages, poor plant maintenance, and transmission bottlenecks, the national grid is likely to remain stagnant.
For millions of Nigerians, the promise of steady electricity remains elusive.
While Bayelsa and other states may now chart their own energy future, the success of these reforms will depend heavily on whether they can attract credible investors, secure reliable gas supplies, and enforce strict operational standards.
As the country prepares for another round of reforms, one reality stands out: without urgent and sustained action, Nigeria’s power sector risks remaining stuck in a cycle of underperformance—despite its vast resources and potential.