Nigeria’s state oil company says its pipelines can still deliver gas to power plants, setting up a public dispute with the grid operator over why electricity output fell.
Nigeria’s state oil company has rejected claims that its gas pipelines are behind a fall in the country’s electricity output. NNPC Limited, formally the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, said in a statement that, by its own records, its gas transport network shows no constraints.
Nigeria is a major African oil producer, so a weak grid hurts business and the oil-linked economy. US investors who follow Nigeria’s power and gas sector will want to know who is right.
What NNPC Said
The statement was issued in Abuja and signed by Andy Odeh, the company’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer. NNPC posted it on 7 November 2026.
It said the records of NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company Limited, the subsidiary that runs the pipelines, show no transport constraints that could explain the drop.NNPC said its gas production volumes are up about 10% so far in 2026. It gave no baseline and no figure for gas delivered to power plants.
It added that ‘gas supply availability is therefore not a challenge’.
A line of flags along a fenced roadside in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. File photo, 2019. (Photo: Kritzolina, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)Why the Two Accounts Differ
The reply followed a statement dated 5 November 2026 from the Nigerian Independent System Operator, known as NISO, which runs the national grid and sends power to distribution companies, the firms that sell electricity to homes and businesses. NISO blamed the decline in generation on limited gas availability and reduced water inflows to hydroelectric stations.
NNPC argued that open pipelines do not prove that every stage of the gas to power chain works. Gas production, commercial supply arrangements and actual deliveries to each power plant must be assessed separately, it said.
It also pointed to the readiness of generating units and to plant maintenance schedules. Actual gas offtake, meaning how much gas a plant takes, was named as a further factor.
NNPC called for a coordinated review involving gas suppliers, transporters, power generators and NISO. The aim, it said, is to identify the specific constraints and the interventions needed.
Nigeria’s grid has struggled for years with outages, which is the context for this dispute. See our explainer on Nigeria’s power cuts for why the problem keeps getting worse.
What It Means for You
For businesses in Nigeria, the dispute matters because unreliable power raises costs and disrupts work. Until the cause is clear, the risk of further cuts stays on the table.
For investors abroad, the question is whether gas, power plants or water is the weak link. The answer shapes how they judge Nigeria’s grid, its gas sector and the oil-linked economy.
Gas-fired plants are a main source of grid generation, so any gap between supply and delivery shows up quickly. A clear public review would help households, lenders and companies see where the fix must come.
What Is Not Known
NNPC’s statement did not publish current generation figures in megawatts or the exact gas volumes delivered to plants. The two accounts differ, and no joint review had been announced in the reports we saw.
NNPC did not say how much of the drop is due to water levels at hydroelectric stations. That leaves the weight of each cause open.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does NNPC say gas pipelines caused Nigeria’s power drop?
No. NNPC says its pipelines remain available to deliver gas to power plants nationwide, and its subsidiary’s records show no transport constraints.
What did the grid operator say?
The Nigerian Independent System Operator, in a statement dated 5 November 2026, blamed the decline on limited gas availability and reduced water inflows to hydroelectric stations.
What does NNPC want to happen next?
It wants a coordinated review involving gas suppliers, transporters, power generators and the grid operator to identify the specific constraints and the interventions needed.
NNPC Limited statement (posted 7 November 2026); NISO statement (5 November 2026), as quoted in NNPC’s reply and reported by Nigerian media.
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