NNPC denies gas transport faults caused the drop in power generation
- NNPC says its gas pipelines have no transport problems that would explain the fall in electricity generation.
- The system operator, NISO, had blamed limited gas availability and low water levels at hydro stations.
- NNPC says gas production is up about 10 per cent this year and wants a joint review of the power chain.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has pushed back on suggestions that problems moving gas are behind the country's weaker electricity generation, saying its pipelines are still delivering to power plants nationwide.
In a statement from Abuja signed by its Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh, the company said records from its subsidiary, NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company Limited (NGIC), show no transport-related constraints on its network that would explain the drop in generation.
The clarification follows a statement on November 5 from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), which manages the grid. NISO had partly blamed limited gas availability and reduced water flowing into hydroelectric stations for the lower generation.
That matters for ordinary Nigerians, who have faced frequent cuts in supply to distribution companies. Gas-fired plants make up a large share of the electricity fed into the national grid, so any question over gas delivery goes straight to how many hours of light homes and businesses get.
What NNPC is saying
NNPC said its message is narrow: it concerns only the condition of NGIC's transport network. It argued that gas production, commercial supply deals and actual deliveries to each power plant should be judged separately from whether the pipes are open.
The company said gas production has grown by about 10 per cent so far in 2026, which it linked to the Federal Government's gas development and monetisation agenda. Gas supply, it insisted, is not the challenge.
It also listed other things that should be checked before blaming gas: whether generating units are ready to run, when plants are due for maintenance, and how much gas each plant actually takes.
"These factors determine whether gas supplied can be converted into electricity," the statement said.
NNPC did not give figures on how much gas was actually delivered to individual power stations, which is the detail that would settle the argument.
What happens next
The company called for a coordinated review of operational data by gas suppliers, transporters, power generators and NISO to pin down the real constraints and decide what to fix.
It said accurate reporting across the gas-to-power chain is needed to resolve the problem and keep public confidence. For now, the two sides agree generation has fallen but disagree on why, and Nigerians are the ones waiting for the lights to stay on.
