Nigerians may face a Christmas without electricity as gas shortages continue to cripple power generation nationwide, forcing distribution companies to implement widespread load shedding. The disruptions have raised concerns about sustained outages unless the Federal Government urgently resolves outstanding gas-to-power debts.
On Tuesday, the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) warned customers across the South-East that low system frequency, caused by gas supply constraints affecting generation companies, had compelled the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to shed available load. Subsidiaries including MainPower, TransPower, FirstPower, NewEra, and EastLand were affected.
“The recent drop in power supply availability is due to low system frequency, occasioned by gas constraints affecting the generation companies. This has necessitated load shedding of available energy by the Transmission Company of Nigeria,” EEDC said in a statement signed by Emeka Ezeh, Group Head, Corporate Communications.
The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) issued a similar notice, attributing the load shedding across its franchise areas to poor generation and allocation from generation companies and the national control centre. Customers were urged to remain patient as efforts are made to restore supply.
Generation companies confirmed that gas producers had begun cutting supplies due to unpaid debts. Joy Ogaji, CEO of the Association of Power Generation Companies, warned that the reduction in gas supply was significantly affecting the operations of thermal power plants.
This is reminiscent of the first quarter of 2024, when Nigerians endured months of blackouts after gas suppliers halted deliveries over unpaid invoices. While government intervention eventually resolved the crisis, gas producers report that they have continued supplying gas without receiving payment.
To address the issue, the Federal Government approved N185bn on December 4, 2025, for payment of outstanding debts owed to gas suppliers. The approval, announced by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, was granted by the National Economic Council chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima. Despite this, gas companies have reportedly continued to reduce supplies, and the Ministry of Power has yet to respond to queries.
Adding to the crisis, the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) reported that electricity generation on the national grid has dropped further due to vandalism within the upstream gas pipeline network. The incident disrupted gas supply to multiple power plants, forcing them to operate below capacity and reducing national grid output.
“The incident affected gas availability to several power generation facilities. Consequently, several gas-fired power stations recorded low output, which resulted in reduced available generation capacity on the national grid,” NISO said. Emergency measures, including increased hydroelectric dispatch, re-dispatch of generation, and voltage control interventions, have been activated to stabilise the system.
NISO also warned that the timing of the disruption is particularly concerning, as electricity demand spikes during the festive season, placing additional pressure on the grid.
With gas supply shortages persisting, generation struggling to recover, and holiday electricity demand expected to surge, Nigerians face the real possibility of a Christmas blackout unless the outstanding debts in the gas-to-power chain are urgently settled and pipeline security improved.
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