One of the strategies being developed in Nigeria to increase the presently installed electricity generation of 6159 MW to the required 30,000 MW is the adoption of electric thermal plants. An emission factor approach is used in this paper to study the emission of uncontrolled air pollutants from all the existing and proposed thermal plants in the country. Calculations are performed to study the distribution of carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), particulate matters (PM), sulphur dioxide (SO2), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The estimated emissions ranges are 978-24,607, 1635-41,148, 37-924, 19-472, and 11-286 ton/annum for CO, NOX, PM, SO2, and VOCs, respectively. The present locations of these plants across the country are characterized by skewed emission distribution both per capita and across the land. Given the potential environmental and health impacts of these emissions, several measures are suggested to reduce future impacts and assist the country in achieving sustainable development. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.