The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) has called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders in the power sector to improve hydropower generation, strengthen grid security and enhance electricity supply across the country. The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NISO made the call at the opening of the 2026 Hydro Generation Planning Meeting held at the Jebba Hydro Power Station in Niger State from August 17 to 21, 2026.

The meeting brought together representatives of the Federal Ministry of Power, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, hydropower generating companies, Transmission Company of Nigeria, distribution companies, water resources and dam management authorities, development partners and industry experts. NISO said the engagement was designed to review the performance, availability, operational constraints, maintenance needs, water-resource outlook and generation projections of the country’s hydropower fleet.

‎The NISO chief executive said hydropower occupies a strategic position in Nigeria’s electricity supply industry, not only because of the energy it contributes to the national grid but also because of its ability to support frequency regulation, reserve provision, voltage support and system restoration. He noted that the system operator had intensified compliance enforcement on Free Governor Control across the generation fleet to ensure that generating units provide demonstrated and reliable flexibility.

‎He stressed that hydro generation planning should go beyond determining available megawatts, describing it as an integral part of national power-system planning and grid security management. According to him, effective planning must take into account reservoir levels, water inflows and releases, seasonal hydrological conditions, generating-unit availability, planned and forced outages, transmission capacity, demand patterns and reserve requirements.

‎The NISO boss also highlighted the organisation’s mandate under the Electricity Act 2023, which includes generation scheduling, dispatch, transmission scheduling, outage coordination, congestion management, ancillary services and long-term system planning. He said the effective integration of hydropower into the national grid requires close coordination among generating companies, the transmission system operator, distribution companies, regulators, water-resource authorities and other industry stakeholders.

He called for improved access to timely and accurate information on hydrological forecasts, generation availability, maintenance schedules, unit operating limits, reservoir and dam management, transmission outages, generation forecasts and dispatch schedules. He said the quality of such information directly affects generation scheduling and, ultimately, the security and reliability of the national grid.

‎The NISO chief executive further urged stakeholders to preserve, rehabilitate, modernise and optimise existing hydropower assets while pursuing viable new hydro resources. He said the evolving electricity generation mix, including increasing interest in renewable and distributed energy resources, would require greater operational flexibility, making technically capable hydropower stations increasingly important to the national generation portfolio.

‎He said the meeting was expected to produce an implementable framework covering projected hydro generation, water-resource availability, maintenance and outage schedules, generating-unit availability, coordination with thermal and renewable resources, reserve requirements, transmission constraints and strategies for improving reliability. He added that agreed actions would be tracked through a register with assigned responsibilities and timelines, stressing that the success of the meeting would ultimately be measured by improved generation availability, enhanced grid security and greater electricity supply to Nigerians.